Engineering Mechanics

In the past few years a new class of layered piezoceramic and piezoceramic-composite actuators, known as RAINBOW and GRAPHBOW, respectively, that are capable of achieving 100 times greater out-of-plane displacements than previously available has been developed. Prior to the development of RAINBOW and GRAPHBOW, large stacks of piezoelectric actuators, requiring complicated electronic drive circuits, were necessary to achieve the displacement now possible through theuse of a single RAINBOW actuato...

Forestry

Environmental quality is a construct that has currency at the interface between science and policyit is used both to describe current conditions as well as prescribe desired future conditions. However, environmental quality has a multiplicity of definitions, owing to: a) the fact that there are a number of terms (or sub constructs) taken to be synonymous with environmental quality (i.e. environmental health, sustainability, biodiversity, integrity, and the like), and b) the fact that each of the...

Political Science

The concept of sovereignty has been a contestableidea throughout history, and its meaning hasoftentimes transformed to reflect prevailingsystemic conditions and political priorities ofmajor actors in each historical period. In thisstudy, I argue that the social construction ofstate sovereignty is at the beginning stages ofanother major redefinition. In an era ofglobalization and regional integration, discourseon sovereignty has become increasingly prolificas the rhetoric of sovereignty moves awa...

Industrial and Systems Engineering

This research clarified existing inconsistencies in self-assessment literature, and added to the body of knowledge for rating effectiveness of organizational assessments by defining relationships among rating effectiveness criteria (ratee, rater, rating scale, rating process) and measures (interrater reliability, halo error, leniency and severity, range restriction) based on extensive literature review. A research framework was developed from this review, and was employed in computing rating eff...

Computer Science

Centralized systems are easier to build and maintain as compared to completely distributed systems. However, distributed systems have the potential to be responsive and robust relative to centralized systems. This thesis proposes an architecture and concurrency algorithm for collaborative editing that lies between these extremes and preserves the advantages of both approaches while minimizing their shortcomingsThe Jupiter collaboration system at Xerox PARC uses a 2-party synchronization protocol...

Philosophy

There is a tension within liberalism between the ideal of equality on the one hand and the respect for freedom (in the form of non-interference) on the other. I shall try to show that in liberalism?s efforts to simultaneously realize its goals of freedom and equality it must ultimately settle for less than the ideal of each. Since Rawls? theory of justice is a liberal one, it suffers from this tension as well. However Rawls? theory has also been accused of forcing some members of society to subs...

Mining and Minerals Engineering

Microcalorimetric measurements and contact angle measurements were conducted to study the surface chemistry of powdered minerals. The contact angle measurements were conducted on both flat and powdered talc samples, and the results were used to determine the surface free energy components using Van Oss-Chaudhury-Good (OCG) equation. It was found that the surface hydrophobicity of talc increases with decreasing particle size. At the same time, both the Lifshitz-van der Waals (gSLW) and the Lewis ...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The explosive growth in wireless communications has led to an increaseddemand for wireless products that are cheaper, smaller, and lowerpower. Recently there has been an increased interest in using CMOS, atraditional digital and low frequency analog IC technology, to implementRF components such as mixers, voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs), andlow noise amplifiers (LNAs). Future mass-market RF links, such asBlueTooth, will require the potentially low-cost single-chip solutionsthat CMOS can pr...

Computer Science

There has been a tremendous rise in the use of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services for cellular telephones. Such services include electronic mail, printing, fax delivery, and weather reports. But, current services are limitedboth in type and nature. Today, mobile telephone users need access to more dynamic, location-based, distributed services that include both hardware resources, like printers and computers, and software services, like application software. Problems due to mobility inc...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

The purpose of this study was to (a) identify educational counseling interventions and accommodations that learning disabled (LD) postsecondary students received that contributed to their academic success and (b) identify barriers and issues that LD students experienced in accessing services.Ten postsecondary students were identified and classified as LD that had attended acommunity college in Northern Virginia and volunteered to participate in this study. Out of theten, two students were select...

History

The Influence of the Mexican Muralists in the United States.From the New Deal to the Abstract ExpressionismLeticia Alvarez(ABSTRACT)This thesis proposes to investigate the influence of the Mexican muralists in the United States, from the Depression to the Cold War. This thesis begins with the origins of the Mexican mural movement, which will provide the background to understand the artists ideologies and their relationship and conflicts with the Mexican government. Then, I will discuss the prese...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

In 1997 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released 300 MHz ofspectrum between 5-6 GHz designated the unlicensed national informationinfrastructure (U-NII) band. The intention of the FCC was to provide anunlicensed band of frequencies that would enable high-speed wirelesslocal area networks (WLANs) and facilitate wireless access to thenational information infrastructure with a minimum interference to otherdevices. Currently, there is a lack of cost-effective technologies fordeveloping U...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

<p>The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the evaluation of university-community engagement scholarship through the college level promotion and tenure process at Southeastern University and to determine the value of faculty engagement as scholarship through that process. This study also examined useful criteria for judging such scholarship. In designing this study, three research methods were employed. Those methods were (a) interviews with faculty and departmen...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Researchers suggest that there are many outcomes associated with involvement in student clubs and organizations. Research also indicates that positive outcomes are associated with serving in leadership positions. Residence Hall Association (RHA) leaders are college students who are involved in a specific type of organization, based in the residence halls with specific aims to improve the quality of life and enhance leadership skill development. Studies to assess the outcomes associated with the ...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

This report, presents an analytical framework for analyzing two-branch diversity systems for a Rayleigh fading channel. In many cases the fading received at both branches (i.e. a two-antenna element system) is correlated because of the proximity of the antenna elements to each other. It is also not uncommon for a diversity system to use antennas with different patterns or polarizations, this usually results in differences in average signal-to-noise ratios at both branches depending on which elem...

Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the major cause of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis in many developing countries, and is also endemic in many industrialized countries. Due to the lack of an effective cell culture system and a practical animal model, the mechanisms of HEV pathogenesis and replication are poorly understood. It has been speculated that HEV replicates in sites other than the liver. Since HEV is presumably fecal-orally transmitted it is unclear how the virus reaches the live...

History

In the changing discourse on Mexican history, La Malinche has evolved from a historical figure of the Conquest to a national myth and a symbol of all those who have allied themselves with foreigners against their own country and its native values and traditions. On the other hand, La Malinche is regarded as the symbolic mother of the mestizos. This thesis proposes to analyze the figure of La Malinche as both a historical actor in the Conquest of Mexico and as a myth in the creation of contempora...

Mechanical Engineering

A transient, one-dimensional, model of the membrane of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is presented. The role of the membrane is to transport protons from the anode to cathode of the fuel cell while preventing the transport of other reactants. The membrane is modeled assuming mono-phase, multi-species flow. For water transport, the principle driving forces modeled are a convective force, an osmotic force (i.e. diffusion), and an electric force. The first of these results from a pressure gra...

Political Science

At the turn of the twentieth century, the imperial regimes of Russia and China underwent periods of political and constitutional reform unprecedented in the long histories of both states. This paper explores the conceptualization of Weberian legitimacy as it applies to these turn-of-the-century trends of political reform in Russia and China. I argue that both external and internal challenges to the legitimacy of the traditional power structures in each state gave rise to and, in effect, necessit...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

X-ray devices have demonstrated the ability to characterize a material at the molecular andatomic levels. This ability is particularly important for detecting plastic explosives, where objectshape information cannot be used. X-ray devices are relatively inexpensive compared to manyother detection technologies. X-ray technology is considered as the technology for detectingillicit materials. Using x-ray technology, a material s <i>density-</i> and <i>effec...

Psychology

A new approach was taken to identify a specific construct or dimension being measured by a video-based situational judgment test (VBSJT). Appropriate exertion of control was specifically explored in relation to a VBSJT test designed for entry-level selection of law enforcement officers. Ratings from ten law enforcement experts were utilized to identify this construct. The VBSJT items scored toward overexertion of control were significantly related to performance (r = .23) in a sample of 334 incu...

Vocational and Technical Education

This study identified the perceived professional development needs of secondary business educators in West Virginia related to professional and business education content competency areas. A population of 408 secondary business educators was randomly assigned to two groups to evaluate their perceived professional development needs. A total of 104 (51.40% of 202) respondents reported their perceived need for professional development for professional competencies based on Policy 5310: Performance ...

Science and Technology Studies

The purpose of this thesis is to compare the science wars of the 1990s with the two-culture debate of the 1960s. It is a work in the history of intellectual debates, focusing on contested concepts of science. Over the past decade, there have been numerous references made in science wars literature that evoke comparisons to the two-culture controversy. I intend to show that while these comparisons have merit for their popular cultural reference, they are not valid when we consider the structures ...

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that soy isoflavone consumption may protect against the development of various chronic diseases. This defense could be linked to isoflavone-induced alterations in immune function. However, to date, no study has examined the effect of soy isoflavone supplementation on human immunity in vivo. Establishing whether isoflavones affect immunity in aging adults is particularly relevant since compromised immune function has been observed in this population. Th...

Economics

The market for natural gas in the United States follows a yearly price pattern of high prices during the winter heating seasonand lows during the summer months. During the winter heating season the daily and weekly price fluctuations for natural gas arenormally related to ambient air temperature and other weather related phenomenon. This paper examines a natural gas priceforecasting model developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency (EIA). This paper proposes that a more...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Fuzzy logic systems are widely used for control, system identification, and pattern recognition problems. In order to maximize their performance, it is often necessary to undertake a design optimization process in which the adjustable parameters defining a particular fuzzy system are tuned to maximize a given performance criterion. Some data to approximate are commonly available and yield what is called the supervised learning problem. In this problem we typically wish to minimize the sum of the...

Civil Engineering

This research effort first characterizes the trucks traveling along US highways by analyzing data from Interstate 81. It is hypothesized that I-81 is typical of US highways and thus can provide some insight into typical truck characteristics. These truck characteristics are important for the development of an exhaustive vehicle performance procedure. Analysis was done based on data collected at the Troutville weigh station. The characterization involves an analysis of vehicle class distribution,...

Chemistry

SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF SILOXANE, SILSESQUIOXANE, AND MALEIC ANHYDRIDE CONTAINING POLYMERS AT AIR/LIQUID INTERFACESbyCatherine E. Farmer(Abstract)Langmuir-monolayer formation at the air/water interface (A/W) can be achieved by spreading amphiphilic molecules on a liquid subphase and compressing them into an ordered arrangement. The use of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique (LB) to prepare ultra thin films on solid surfaces from monolayers at A/W has considerable utility for studying surface int...

Landscape Architecture

Having historical, cultural, and religious roots, humans have been walking the path of the labyrinth for centuries. From seashores to cathedral floors, the labyrinth is seen as a symbolic search for ones center. The labyrinth has experienced a revival in modern life, showing up everywhere from rehabilitation centers and hospitals, to prisons and backyard landscapes across this country. The labyrinth has emerged as a form that can help humans find their internal center and place of emotional stab...

Architecture

What do these stones mean to you?At some point in mans history, there came a moment in time when he realized an inherent need to be remembered. Whether it was mans first sin and its immediate consequences of earthly mortality. Or whether it was the progress and development on an evolutionary scale where man emerges and with it invention and time to contemplate his existence. I cannot say. There is however a moment when man discovered the concept of self and the reality of death.I am. I think. I ...

Sociology

As the number of elderly people increases, the need for care of frail elders also rises. When looking at elder care, feminist scholars have pointed to the need to consider not only the caregiver s gender, but also the interlocking power relations of gender and raceethnicity. For these reasons, this study addresses the following question: how does raceethnicity influence the relationship of gender and care of frail elders? Analysis of data on Hispanic (N=182) and non-Hispanic White (N=1252) frail...

Human Development

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

The advent of Internet based digital services, and bandwidth-intensive business and personal applications has necessitated deployment of broadband network access technologies. Research analysts project that the U.S. market for broadband wireless networking will grow to nearly $2 billion by 2004 and Local Multipoint Distribution Services (LMDS) have enormous potential to emerge as the most reliable and cost-effective solution. However, in order to design and deploy LMDS systems, it is vital for s...

Philosophy

In 1986, David Lewis offered what he thought would be the decisive objection against endurantism, showing it to be an implausible theory. The problem of temporary intrinsics stated that an object cannot have two complementary intrinsic properties while maintaining identity, as endurantists claim. Perdurantism, then, must be the more plausible theory, according to Lewis. The endurantists responded to this objection by formulating different versions of endurantism designed to avoid the problem. Su...

Veterinary Medical Sciences

ABSTRACT:Corneal ulceration with prolonged healing following Nd:YAG laser cyclophotocoagulation in dogs is a frequent complication. It is hypothesized that these corneal ulcerations may be a form of neurotrophic keratitis due to laser-induced damage to corneal innervation. Fifteen clinically normal dogs had the neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet(Nd:YAG) laser cyclophotocoagulation performed on the left eye. Each treated eye received 100 Joules of laser energy. Corneal touch threshold (CTT) and Sc...

Chemistry

The mitochondrial membrane bound flavoenzymes monoamine oxidase A and B (MAO-A and MAO-B) catalyze the a-carbon oxidation of a variety of amines including neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Although the primary structures of these enzymes have been established from the corresponding gene sequences, relatively little is known regarding the structural features of the active sites which lead to the selectivities observed with various substrates and inhibitors. In spite of many effort...

Veterinary Medical Sciences

Diagnosis techniques and treatments for Escherichia coli mastitis in the dairy bovine were evaluated in two experiments. The first experiment evaluated eosin methylene blue agar as a method of distinguishing E.coli from other gram-negative mastitis pathogens. Escherichia coli will usually produce a green metallic sheen on eosin methylene blue agar. One hundred and twenty-nine milk samples or gram-negative isolates from milk samples were used to compare eosin methylene blue agar to a commercial b...

Public Administration/Public Affairs

What does informal problem solving in neighborhoods -- when people act collectively, but without much formal organizing -- look like? Does or can problem solving at this level contribute to the democratic capabilities of citizens? If so, how, and does public administration, as the part of government most involved in the daily life of citizens, have a role to play in building this informal capacity for self-government? The communitarian agenda in the United States assumes the importance of indige...

Political Science

Using feminist theory and comparative analysis, this thesis will investigate why women in sub-Saharan Africa are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS than men. Among non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations, HIV/AIDS has always been a gender issue because it is clear that women are more vulnerable to the disease, socially, culturally and biologically. Through two case studies -- one on Uganda where the HIV prevalence rate has dropped considerably in recent years, and one on Bot...

Teaching and Learning

This study describes the long-term reading achievement of a group of children identified by teachers in 1994 as low-achieving students in reading. Four research questions guided the study, and the 165 participants came from 12 elementary schools in Montgomery County, Virginia. They were selected, because they had participated in Reading Recovery in first grade and had taken the reading portion of the Stanford 9 Achievement Test in the spring of third grade.<p>The literature review ...

Veterinary Medical Sciences

Recent studies suggest that lymphocyte apoptosis serves to regulate pulmonary inflammation. Equine COPD, an allergic disease of the lower airway, is likely due to dysregulation of the pulmonary immune response. In this study, the hypothesis tested was COPD affected horses would have less apoptotic airway lymphocytes than control horses during clinical disease. To achieve this, 3 methods of measuring apoptosis, Vindelovs propidium iodide with Triton-X (PI/Triton-X), 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD), ...

Philosophy

In his book The Limits of Morality, Shelly Kagan claims that contractarian approaches to ethics are incompatible with our common, everyday, "moderate" morality. In this thesis I defend a version of contractarianism that I believe leads to both deontological constraints and options; i.e., to a genuinely moderate morality. On my account, the parties to the agreement are conceived of as being motivated not only to promote self-interest, but also to formulate a code of ethics that gives pr...

Civil Engineering

In the current mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design procedures for flexible pavements, the primary transfer functions are those that relate (a) maximum tensile strain in the hot-mix asphalt (HMA) surface layer to fatigue cracking and (b) compressive strain at the top of the subgrade layer to rutting at the surface. These functions, called fatigue and rutting equations, are usually derived from statistically based correlations of pavement condition with observed laboratory specimen performance, ful...

Public Administration/Public Affairs

The purpose of this dissertation is the delineation of a new approach, or, more precisely, a new role and methodological system, for those persons engaged in building and managing multi-actor structures, or networks, for the purpose of policy implementation. As policy formulation and implementation can be viewed increasingly as taking place inter-organizationally, and consisting of individuals, special-interest groups, public organizations, private organizations, non-profits, etc., none of whom ...

Civil Engineering

A new safety application, as part of ITS Advanced Rural Transportation System (ARTS), has been developed to be deployed on a two-lane rural road (Route 114), in Southwest Virginia. The route segment under study is subject to significant head-on accidents, as a result of two main conditions:1- Illegal passing maneuvers crossing solid yellow line, and2- A short passing sight distance due to the road vertical profile.The main objective of this research is to design a video detection-based warning s...

Biology

I examined streams in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock wilderness to determine if streams responded to logging following 75 y of recovery. Joyce Kilmer was never logged and the Slickrock wilderness was logged from 1917 until 1922. Wood was common in unlogged streams and averaged 417 m3 of wood/ha of streambed. Logged streams had significantly less wood (1.1 m3 of wood/ha of stream), probably because of the construction of railroads in streambeds used to remove timber. Fine substrates (<5.6 mm d...

Architecture

Why has transportation architecture become a lost thought when there are so many possibilities to reach people with well thought out design? Shouldn t we as designers want to enhance the places were most people go, not just were few choose to visit. Shouldn t architecture be for the general public to enjoy. That is why I chose to design an underground station for Dulles Airport. It is an opportunity to provide the public with a functional design that they could enjoy, while enriching their thoug...

Chemistry

Substituent effects in eta5-cyclopentadienyl (Cp) transition metal complexes have been intensely studied since the discovery of the first such complex, ferrocene. Modifications of the Cp ligand framework effect changes in the physical properties and chemical reactivity of the coordinated transition metal. This concept is useful when applied to catalysis mediated by Cp complexes, because the performance of the catalyst can be markedly improved using well-chosen ligand substituents.Studies of elec...

Mechanical Engineering

This present research effort was directed towards developing reduced order models for the dynamics of laminar flat flames, swirl stabilized turbulent flames, and in evaluating the effects of the variation in fuel composition on flame dynamics. The laminar flat flame study was conducted on instrument grade methane, propane, and ethane flames for four total flow rates from 145 cc/sec to 200 cc/sec, and five equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 0.75. The analysis was done by measuring the frequency resol...

Mechanical Engineering

During normal walking, the relative motion of the human knee involves flexion/extension, anterior/posterior sliding, and medial/lateral rotation. As well, the knee experiences a complex, dynamic loading curve with a peak of up to seven times body weight. However, most wear testing machines that have been used to evaluate total knee replacement materials are unidirectional and/or apply only static force. This thesis presents an alternate wear testing device capable of simulating the most prevalen...