Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Building Multi-Discipline, Multi-Format Digital Libraries Using Clusters And Buckets, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Our objective was to study the feasibility of extending the Dienst protocol to enable a multi-discipline, multi-format digital library. We implemented two new technologies: cluster functionality and publishing buckets. We have designed a possible implementation of clusters and buckets, and have prototyped some aspects of the resultant digital library.

Currently, digital libraries are segregated by the disciplines they serve ( computer science, aeronautics, etc.), and by the format of their holdings (reports, software, datasets, etc.). NCSTRL+ is a multi-discipline, multi-format digital library (DL) prototype created to explore the feasibility of the design and implementation issues involved with created a …

The Detoxification Of Petroleum Contaminated Coastal Plain Sandy Soil Using An Amended Vermicomposting Approach, John Charles Kraemer

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study explores the feasibility of utilizing an amended vermicomposting treatment approach for detoxifying petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sandy soil. The bench-scale testing of gasoline and diesel contaminated soil using three test soil vessels and one control soil vessel was performed in a laboratory setting for a six week time period. The control soil received no treatment other than distilled water to maintain soil moisture. Treatment 1 consisted of direct application of liquid municipal biologic sludge on a weekly basis. Treatment 2 consisted of the addition of 30 Eisenia foetida earthworms and distilled water. Treatment 3 consisted of direct application of …

Speciation Of Selenium In Serum, Alice Tsapayi-Musapatike

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

We investigated the separation of selenoprotein P and extracellular (serum) glutathione peroxidase using a concanavalin A affinity column. We were able to show that the method does not adequately separate serum glutathione peroxidase from selenoprotein P because human glutathione peroxidase binds strongly to the column. We also found that albumin can interfere with measurement serum of glutathione peroxidase activity when hydrogen peroxide is used as the substrate. When t-butyl hydroperoxide was used as the substrate, less than 10% of the measured activity was due to the presence of albumin. We also found that the pH of the elution buffer plays …

Stomach Content Analysis Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In Virginia, 1987-1996, John Mcgurk

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

I examined the stomach contents from 94 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, that were stranded along the Virginia coastline from 1987 through 1996. Samples from 1987 through 1991 were obtained from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and samples from 1992 through 1996 were collected by the Virginia Marine Science Museum (VMSM) Stranding Team. Prey species were identified using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks.

The dolphins examined fed on 23 species of fish and one genus of cephalopods. The primary prey species was Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus); secondary species were weakfish (Cynoscion regalia), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), …

Systematics Of The Freshwater Amphipod Genus Crangonyx (Crangonyctidae) In North America, Jun Zhang

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The systematics of the amphipod genus Crangonyx of North America (north of Mexico) is revised, based on available collections (ca. 2240) and literature dealing with the genus. A grand total of 42 North America species of Crangonyx are recognized in the present study, 24 of them new to science. All species are described or redescribed and figured, utilizing external morphological features. Keys to both species groups and individual species are given. Phylogenetic trees are built using computer programs (PAUP, Hennig86, MacClade) based on 26 characters. Wagner parsimony produced 18 parsimonious trees and Fitch parsimony produced 45 trees. The consensus tree …

Reverse Engineering Of Aircraft Wing Data Using A Partial Differential Equation Surface Model, Jacalyn M. Huband

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

Reverse engineering is a multi-step process used in industry to determine a production representation of an existing physical object. This representation is in the form of mathematical equations that are compatible with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) equipment. The four basic steps to the reverse engineering process are data acquisition, data separation, surface or curve fitting, and CAD/CAM production. The surface fitting step determines the design representation of the object, and thus is critical to the success or failure of the reverse engineering process. Although surface fitting methods described in the literature are used to model a variety of …

The Use Of Operator Regularization In The Computation Of Effective Field Theories, Jeffrey M. Hersh

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Current methods of computing low-energy effective field theories while being accurate are extremely cumbersome co implement. Operator regularization provides a way to calculate any desired effective field theory avoiding the tediousness of previous methods. This technique is shown to be an effective method in explicitly calculating the 1_/mheavy corrections that match an original full theory to its low-energy effective counterpart. This is demonstrated up to two loop order for the case of a charged two field θ{4}{4} theory as well as up to one loop order for the Higgs sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Model. Additionally, the renormalization …

The Study Of Wave-Blocking And Current Effects On Nonlinear Interactions Of Shallow-Water Waves Using Advanced Boussinesq Models, Qin Chen

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The first part of this work focuses on the derivation of enhanced Boussinesq-type equations for the combined motion of waves and currents in shallow water areas.

The strategy proposed in this work is to couple two known methods which are the sponge layer concept suitable for short waves and Sommerfeld radiation condition for currents. This coupling method provides satisfactory non-reflective boundaries for the simulation of fully coupled wave/current motion as demonstrated by the numerical experiments. We verify the model against the well known solutions based on the existing theories and good agreement has been observed. The numerical results confirm the …

A Synthesized Methodology For Eliciting Expert Judgment For Addressing Uncertainty In Decision Analysis, Richard W. Monroe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation describes the development, refinement, and demonstration of an expert judgment elicitation methodology. The methodology has been developed by synthesizing the literature across several social science and scientific fields. The foremost consideration in the methodology development has been to incorporate elements that are based on reasonable expectations for the human capabilities of the user, the expert in this case.

Many methodologies exist for eliciting assessments for uncertain events. These are frequently elicited in probability form. This methodology differs by incorporating a qualitative element as a beginning step for the elicitation process. The qualitative assessment is a more reasonable way …

High-Order Finite-Difference Schemes And Their Application To Computational Acoustics, Joe Leo Manthey

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

The primary focus of this study is upon the numerical stability of high-order finite-difference schemes and their application to duct acoustics. Since acoustic waves are known to be non-dissipative and non-dispersive, high-order schemes are favored for their low dissipation and low dispersion relative to the low-order schemes. The primary obstacle to the the development of explicit high-order finite-difference schemes is the construction of boundary closures which simultaneously maintain the formal order of accuracy and the numerical stability of the overall scheme. In this thesis a hybrid seven-point, fourth-order stencil for computing spatial derivatives is presented and the time stability is …

Mark-Recapture Creel Survey And Survival Models, Shampa Saha

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, we consider a model based approach to the estimation of exploitation rate of a fish population by combining mark-recapture procedures with a creel survey. We also consider the analysis of a proportional hazards survival model for randomly censored observations, known as the Koziol-Green model. The model assumes that the lifetime survivor function is a power of the censored time survivor function.

In Chapter 2, we introduce the model based approach to the estimation of the exploitation rate of a fish population by combining mark-recapture procedures with a creel survey. We assume that in the beginning of a …

Evaluation Of Solid Phase Extraction Followed By Supercritical Fluid Elution Of Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds In Toxicity Characteristic Leachates, William Edward Corl Iii

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) to determine the potential for unknown wastes to leach haz.ardous constituents into the environment. Methods currently being used for the extraction of semi-volatile organic compounds from aqueous TCLP leachates involve acid/base partitioning into methylene chloride. The concentrated extract is then analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The methods are either timeconsuming or labor intensive and they generate significant volumes of haz.ardous wastes themselves. Considering the haz.ards and disposal costs of methylene chloride wastes, great interest has been elicited by the EPA in other extraction techniques which would reduce …

Fabrication And Evaluation Of Boron-Doped Cvd Diamond Microelectrodes, Song Pang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The electrochemical behavior of boron-doped diamond microelectrodes has been studied in acetonitrile solutions containing two redox couples using cyclic voltammetry. One test system is 1-2.5 mM ferrocene, containing 0.1 M Tetrabutyl ammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAH). This well-known reversible redox system involves only one electron transfer with little or no change in the solvation sphere and no breakage/formation of chemical bonds. Another test system is a 1 mM S₂Mo₁₈0₆₄^4- solution containing 0.1 M HCIO₄. This is one of the most complicated redox systems. In the presence of acid, electrons are usually transferred consecutively and …

Single Row Routing: Theoretical And Experimental Performance Evaluation, And New Heuristic Development, David A. Hysom

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

The Single Row Routing Problem (SRRP) is an abstraction arising from real-world multilayer routing concerns. While NP-Complete, development of efficient SRRP routing heuristics are of vital concern to VLSI design. Previously, researchers have introduced various heuristics for SRRP; however, a comprehensive examination of SRRP behavior has been lacking.

We are particularly concerned with the street-congestion minimization constraint, which is agreed to be the constraint of greatest interest to industry. Several theorems stating lower bounds on street congestion are known. We show that these bounds are not tight in general, and argue they may be in error by at least 50% …

Influence Of Physics On The Distribution Of Ichthyoplankton Across The Chesapeake Bay Plume, Christian S. Reiss

OES Theses and Dissertations

Most marine fish have retained pelagic larval stages that are spawned away from juvenile habitats. Physical and biological processes on a number of scales may affect larval survival. Mesoscale features like estuarine or riverine plumes and fronts are thought to affect larval survival by transporting larvae to juvenile habitats or by retaining larvae in favorable developmental habitats. It is likely that these features are major contributors in the regulation of shelf-spawned estuarine-dependent taxa.

This study examined how physical oceanographic features affected the spatial distribution of ichthyoplankton across the Chesapeake Bay Plume. Larval surveys were conducted across the shelf and within …

Biostratigraphic Analysis Of Southern Florida's Plio-Pleistocene Shell Beds, Dalton L. Rasmussen

OES Theses and Dissertations

Four molluscan assemblage zones in southern Florida corresponding to the Pinecrest Sand Member of the Tamiami Formation, and the Caloosahatchee, Bermont and Fort Thompson shell beds were identified following quantitative and qualitative analyses of the fossil molluscan fauna. Twenty-eight bulk sediment samples collected from 16 localities across southern Florida were processed for fossil material, and yielded nearly 60,000 specimens belonging to 311 species. A Q-mode cluster analysis compared sediment samples on the basis of 188 species whose abundances had been converted to binary presence-absence form. The cluster analysis was run four times using the Jaccard and Dice similarity coefficients as …

Development Of Solid Phase Microextraction Methods For Contraband Drugs, Vangielynn Cruz Tersol

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study is to develop analytical methods for studying contraband drugs at nanogram levels and to demonstrate the utility of the methods. A method which combines solid phase microextraction with ion mobility spectrometry (SPME-IMS) was developed. The SPME-IMS method was used as a rapid screening tool in studying the chemistry of cocaine HCI, heroin HCI, and heroin freebase on surfaces. The total time for sample preparation, reaction, and analysis is approximately seven minutes. Another method that was developed is one that combines solid phase microextraction with gas chromatography (SPME-GC) for the quantitative analysis of cocaine freebase and …

Development Of A Fluorescent Indicator For Inorganic Monochloramine, Xiaojun Dong Zou

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Current methods used to determine combined residual chlorine cannot distinguish between inorganic monochloramine (NH₂Cl) and organic chloramines. Studies described in this thesis were carried out to develop a novel method of determining the concentration of inorganic monochloramine in aqueous solutions. Based on the observation that the reaction of 3-formyl-1-methylpyridinium chloride (3FMPCl) with NH₂Cl produces a solution which is fluorescent, experiments were conducted to characterize the reaction and optimize the experimental conditions. Using the finalized protocol, NH₂Cl measurements were made in the presence and absence of organic amines and compared with a commonly used N, …

Microzooplankton Dynamics In Lower Chesapeake Bay And Its Major Tributaries, Gyung Soo Park

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study identified the temporal and spatial variability of microzooplankton density and biomass at 14 stations located within Chesapeake Bay and four rivers. Microzooplankton are defined as those heterotrophic organisms which range from 20 to 200 $\mu$m in size, and in this study were mainly composed of copepod nauplii, rotifers, and ciliates. Ciliates were the most abundant microzooplankton, comprising more than 90% of the total density, with copepod nauplii representing approximately 50% of the total microzooplankton biomass (carbon content). Rotifers contributed less than 5% for both density and biomass of the total microzooplankton.

Maximum ciliate abundance occurred from spring to …

Designing A High-Quality Network: An Application-Oriented Approach, Sudheer Dharanikota

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

As new computer network technologies emerge, the application designers and the application users expect an increasing level of quality of service from them. Hence, it is a common practice in the newer technologies to provide more Quality of Service (QoS) components. Until now, these QoS solutions have been both network-technology specific and network-oriented solutions. In this thesis, we present an application-oriented approach to design a high quality network which is independent of the underlying communication technology. In this thesis, we propose a QoS architecture to "provide predictable performance to the end-to-end application users in a high quality networking environment." In …

The Effects Of Organic Matter Rich Topsoil On The Germination Growth And Metal Uptake Of Corn (Zea Mays) Grown In Flue Dust Contaminated Soil, Christopher Allen Impellitteri

OES Theses and Dissertations

The large biomass of corn (Zea mays) and promising results from a previous experiment (Chlopecka and Adriano, 1995) concerning metal uptake by corn indicate that corn may be a good candidate for phytoremediation of trace metal contaminated soil. Appling soil (acid, thermic, typic paleudult) was treated with increasing levels of a metal rich flue dust based on Zn concentration (0, 150, 300, 600, 1200, and 2400 mg/kg). Four replicates at each Zn treatment level were either limed to pH 6.3-6.5 and covered with a two inch thick layer of organic matter rich topsoil (OM), unlimed and covered with …

Councilmanic Perceptions Of Water Policy For The Lake Gaston Water Supply Project In Virginia And North Carolina, Beverly Mcafee Hedberg

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this case study is to analyze the perceptions of city council members in formulating and implementing policy on the Lake Gaston Water Supply Project in Virginia and North Carolina. A comparison of the perceptions of twenty-three members of three city councils: Henderson, North Carolina; Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina; and Virginia Beach, Virginia serves as the basis for analysis. Their perceptions of the issues and how they view other actors in the intergovernmental arena, within the context of the Lake Gaston Water Supply Project.

Specifically, the research examines how city council members view (1) water-policy issues, (2) the …

Three-Dimensional Aerodynamic Design Optimization Using Discrete Sensitivity Analysis And Parallel Computing, Amidu Olawale Oloso

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A hybrid automatic differentiation/incremental iterative method was implemented in the general purpose advanced computational fluid dynamics code (CFL3D Version 4.1) to yield a new code (CFL3D.ADII) that is capable of computing consistently discrete first order sensitivity derivatives for complex geometries. With the exception of unsteady problems, the new code retains all the useful features and capabilities of the original CFL3D flow analysis code. The superiority of the new code over a carefully applied method of finite-differences is demonstrated.

A coarse grain, scalable, distributed-memory, parallel version of CFL3D.ADII was developed based on "derivative stripmining". In this data-parallel approach, an identical copy …

Ecology Of The Early Life History Of The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus: Recruitment, Predation, And Habitat Requirements, Charles A. Acosta

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Recruitment variability of the early life history stages of marine benthic organisms can have profound consequences on population dynamics. I studied factors affecting recruitment success of postlarvae and early juveniles of the Caribbean spiny lobster. I examined patterns in postlarval supply, investigated wind forcing as a potential transport mechanism for recruiting postlarvae, and quantified predation on postlarvae in south Florida, USA. In an eight-year time series, spiny lobster postlarval supply occurred year-round between the new and first quarter lunar phases. The major annual peak occurred around March corresponding to spawning activity ten months earlier, and a smaller non-seasonal peak occurred …

Ice Transport In The Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canadian Arctic Using Detrital Fe Oxide Grain Composition, Duan Li

OES Theses and Dissertations

Nine Fe oxide mineral types (45pm-250pm) separated from 54 glacial and glaciomarine sediment samples from the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) of Canada were analyzed for 12 elements by electron microprobe to determine the dispersal patterns of ice rafted debris in this area. Both cluster analysis and discriminant function analysis (DFA) on the chemical compositions were used to match each detrital Fe oxide grain to a source The entire QEI area can be subdivided into eight unique areas based on the elemental composition of the Fe oxide minerals. These subdivisions are similar to the source areas based on the assemblage of …

40Ar/39 Ar Geochronology Of The Lowland Creek Volcanic Field And Its Temporal Relations With Other Eocene Volcanic Areas, Vladimir Olegovich Ispolatov

OES Theses and Dissertations

Exposures of the Eocene Lowland Creek Volcanics (LCV) cover an area of 2000 km² in southwestern Montana, and consist of basal elastic deposits, felsic tuffs, and felsic and intermediate lavas with an aggregate thickness of about 2 km. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates show that volcanic activity lasted for at least 4.2 million years (52.7- 48.5 Ma), or even longer (4.5-4.7 million years: from 53.0-53.2 Ma to 48.5 Ma). During evolution of the volcanic field, early explosive volcanism was gradually replaced by extrusive activity. During the transition period (52.7-51.5 Ma), the two volcanic styles coexisted.

The evolution of …

Elevation As A Control Of Boulder Stream Formation In The Blue Ridge Province Of Virginia, Marc D. Zamkotowicz

OES Theses and Dissertations

Within four study areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, boulder streams formed by periglacial processes carpet the bottoms of most high-altitude first-order valleys. The geomorphic indicators of periglacial formation in these long, linear accumulations of bouldery colluvium - the presence of vertical clasts, gradational upper contacts with talus deposits, confinement within valleys, and hump-like cross sectional profiles - were present in all areas mapped and in most individual boulder streams. The minimum critical elevation for boulder stream formation increases from north to south across Virginia, from 150 m in elevation in northern Virginia to 1500 m in southwestern …

Middle Shoreface Intervals: Evidence Of Barred Nearshore Systems In He Stratigraphic Record, James V. Gravette

OES Theses and Dissertations

An interpretation for middle shoreface (MSF) intervals was developed by comparing MSF intervals from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Blackhawk Formation, east-central Utah, with conceptual models proposed for modern nearshore areas. Specifically, MSF intervals identified within the Sunnyside Member were compared with MSF intervals identified within the Spring Canyon (Kamola and Van Wagoner, 1995) and the Aberdeen (Kamola, unpublished data) members.

A comparison of MSF interval data revealed that MSF intervals occur stratigraphically between upper and lower shore face deposits, disrupting the standard vertical succession for nearshore marine deposits (consisting of offshore, lower shore face, upper shore face, and foreshore deposits). …

The Effects Of Human-Computer Communication Mode, Task Complexity, And Desire For Control On Performance And Discourse Organization In An Adaptive Task, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined how different communication patterns affected task performance with an adaptive interface. A Wizard-of-Oz simulation (Gould, Conti, & Hovanyecz, 1983) was used to create the impression of a talking and listening computer that acted as a teammate to help participants interact with a computer application.

Four levels of communication mode were used which differed in the level of restriction placed on human-computer communication. In addition, participants completed two sets of tasks (simple and complex). Further, a personality trait, Desire for Control (DC), was measured and participants were split into high and low groups for analysis. Dependent measures …

Distribution Of Free Marine Viruses Of Lower Chesapeake Bay And Their Effects On Life-History Parameters Of The Estuarine Copepod Acartia Tonsa Dana, Lisa A. Drake

OES Theses and Dissertations

Naturally occurring viruses are very abundant in fresh, estuarine, and marine waters, with densities on the order of 10⁵-10⁸ viruses ml^-1. Research has focused on virus effects on bacteria, cyanobacteria, and phytoplankton, as well as mechanisms of virus production and decay. However, little is known about the distribution of viruses in benthic environments or virus effects on organisms in higher trophic levels.

To determine the distribution of virus-like particles (VLPs) and bacteria in the lower Chesapeake Bay, vertical profiles of VLPs and bacteria were determined through the water column and 15-25 cm into the sediment …