Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Investigation Into Relationships Between Alternative Assessment And Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics, David Charles Coffey

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how including alternative assessments in a reform-based mathematics course affects pre-service teachers’ mathematical beliefs. A single section of a mathematics course designed for elementary education majors that employed three different alternative assessments was the setting for the study.

A pre- and post-belief survey completed by students enrolled in the section under study represented the first level of data collection and analysis. The results of the pre-belief survey guided the selection of seven informants from the section and provided belief statements for the informants to verify during subsequent interviews. Based on the data …

Photodegradation Of Pcbs In Natural Waters, Adriana R. Nicolaescu

Masters Theses

PCBs are widely distributed in the environment and they are biologically refractory and toxic compounds. There is great interest in understanding their fate in the environment, and also for finding safe and effective degradation methods.

This study is concerned with the photodegradation of four PCB congeners: PCB 5, PCB 18, PCB 77, PCB 128 in natural waters. Natural waters contain humic substances which can greatly influence the environmental fate of the PCBs. The different degradation of the four congeners was studied in standardized systems and in humic acid or nitrate solutions, under environmental conditions. DMDE and Methoxyclor (whose environmental half-lifetimes …

Alkyl Nitrates During The Prophet ’98 Summer Intensive, Kristi A. Ostling

Masters Theses

As part of the PROPHET intensive held at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan, a gas chromatography system for making fast-turnaround measurements of C1 to C5 alkyl nitrates was developed and deployed from July 19 to August 21, 1998. Every 30 minutes, samples were automatically acquired on a small Tenax trap made from silicosteel column and injected on a GC column by thermal desorption prior to ECD detection. Tests performed to measure breakthrough and on-trap destruction indicated no breakthrough for C3, C4, and C5 nitrates and excellent stability for these compounds on the trap. Chromatographic resolution of …

Calibration, Installation Techniques, And Initial Measurements For Vertical Resistivity Probes Used In Hydrogeologic Investigations, Jeffrey Mark Groncki

Masters Theses

Vertical Resistivity Probes (VRPs) are being increasingly used in a variety of applications where detailed vertical resistivity information in both the vadose and saturated zones is needed. All the different possible array types and spacings must be calibrated for the effect of the 2" (outer diameter) insulating PVC cylinder on which the electrodes are mounted. Apparent resistivities must be corrected by calibration factors. Varying the installation parameters greatly influences the measured apparent resistivity because of the disturbed annulus and the composition of the backfill materials. Bentonite slurry is necessary for the installations to keep the electrodes in good contact with …

Stratigraphic Analysis Of Diamicton Units In North-Central St. Joseph County, Michigan, Andrew C. Flint

Masters Theses

Seven subsurface glacial diamicton units, including a paleosol, have been characterized from two borings in north-central St. Joseph County, Michigan. These units have been characterized in terms of their clay mineralogy, texture, color, and stratigraphic position. t-Tests confirm that each unit displays a significant difference in mean 7A/10A peak height ratio from all other units.

Unit 4, informally called the Gray Marker tilt has been correlated between borings in this study and to the findings of others (Gardner, 1997, Nicks, in preparation). The Newbury till described by the Indiana Geological Survey (unpublished data) may also correlate to Unit 4, raising …

Geosciences Newsletter- 1999, Department Of Geosciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol.1, No. 24

• Dear Alumni and Friends
• Faculty News
• Graduate Student News
• Student News
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Evaluation Of Raman Spectroscopy And Ruby Piezospectroscopy As Tools For Investigating The Corrosion Of Metallic Alloys, Daniel P. Renusch

Dissertations

Stainless steel system components that operate in high temperature oxidizing environments obtain protection from corrosion by means of thermally grown chromia and alumina scales. Ongoing investigations of protective scales utilize a battery of experimental and theoretical techniques. A technique which has received little attention is Raman scattering. The reason for its limited use has been long data acquisition times required to obtain suitable spectra from thin surface oxides. Because advances in detection systems, namely the multichannel CCD (charge coupled devices), have recently provided dramatic improvement in the sensitivity of Raman scattering experiments, we decided to reevaluate the technique as a …

A Comprehensive Approach For Evaluation Of Groundwater Vulnerability To Contamination, Shafiul H. Chowdhury

Dissertations

Groundwater vulnerability to contamination from surface sources was evaluated for Nottawa Creek Watershed, Calhoun County Michigan using AQUIPRO and DRASTIC vulnerability methods. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze and map the data. Forty groundwater samples were collected following a statistical sampling protocol from private wells. Samples were analyzed for nitrate-N and atrazine. Atrazine was not detected (detection limit 0.1 ppb) in any of the samples. Five samples contained detectable nitrate-N (detection limit 0.05 mg/L). Due to insufficient chemical data, the relative AQUIPRO and DRASTIC vulnerability scores could not be compared with the frequency of occurrences o f …

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Investigation Of Carbocation Reactivity In Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Hongshu Jin

Masters Theses

Recent interest in the use of supercritical CO₂ as an environmentally benign reaction medium has included the development of solvent systems that may support polar and ionic chemistry. Carbocations are key intermediate in a variety of synthetically important reactions and characterization of their reactivity is the focus of this work. UV-visible absorption, and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to identify and monitor the reaction kinetics of 9- phenylxanthenium carbocation. The arylcarbocation is conveniently generated from 9- phenylxanthen-9-ol in supercritical CO₂ under mildly acidic conditions. Under these conditions 9-phenylxanthenium ion is extremely stable and persists for …

Multiple Isotopic Studies Of Calcium Carbonate Growths In Concrete Structures, Danielle M. Schmitt

Masters Theses

Secondary minerals, predominantly carbonates, forming under concrete structures have received attention in terms of their possible role in the degradation of their hosts. δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O analyses of several calcium carbonate growths collected from bridges in Michigan and New York were performed. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values clustered around -24.7 ± 1(PDB) and 13.7 ± 1(SMOW) ‰, respectively. A positive δ¹⁸O- δ¹³C correlation suggests kinetically driven precipitation involving atmospheric CO2• ¹⁴C activities determined for select samples support the theory that atmospheric CO₂ is involved …

Periodicity And Disorder, Simeon D. Simeonov

Dissertations

We have studied four examples of periodicity and disorder in nature and the phenomena associated with them.

In the first chapter of the dissertation we present an introduction to this work.

In the second chapter, the photonic band structures of two types of zinc blend structures are computed using the plane wave expansion method. Both structures are formed from an array of dielectric spheres in a vacuum background. In a first type zinc blend structure the spheres have the same size but different dielectric constants. In a second type of structure we keep the dielectric contrast of the spheres the …

Efficiency Of Distributed Priority Queues In Parallel Adaptive Integration, Rodger Zanny

Masters Theses

The adaptive integration algorithm is· effective in numerically solving integration problems. It is able to focus the application of integration rules on the portion of the integration region where the integrand is the least well-behaved. Parallel implementations must use dynamic load balancing or performance suffers.

Dynamic local load-balancing techniques allow each processor to maintain its own pool of work in a local priority queue and balance the workload based on local criteria. However, the use of locally controlled priority queues is known to be inefficient (in terms of the number of integration rule applications needed to reach an answer) as …

Gas Sparging And Humic Acid Sorption/Desorption, Masaki Sakakibara

Masters Theses

Partition coefficients (K_DOC) for sorption of PAHs and chlorinated benzenes to dissolved humic acids (HA) were measured using gas-sparging methodology. The resulting K_DOC values were significantly lower than the K_OW-based K_DOC values, which generally appear to provide reliable estimates for K_DOC values. The K_DOC values measured by gas sparging were also strongly influenced by the concentration of HA in solution, as measured by dissolved organic carbon content (DOC). Increasing DOC concentration consistently resulted in decreased K_DOC values for all compounds investigated. Previous studies have claimed that K_DOC values measured using …

Application Of The Paleomagnetic Fold Test To Determine The Relative Timing Of Sill Intrusion And Deformation In The Southwest Helena Salient, Montana, Stephen Christopher Whisner

Masters Theses

The Doherty Mountain fold complex is a highly folded and faulted region along the southern boundary of the Helena Salient in southwestern Montana. This region has a complex deformation history that is a key to deformation within the Helena Salient as a whole. A structural interpretation of the deformed rocks of this area was conducted using field mapping and cross section construction at 1:24,000 scale providing insight to the internal deformation processes involved. Fourteen folds and three major faults were mapped and analyzed showing the influence of the Southwest Montana Transverse Zone and late stage detachment faulting on fold orientation. …

Nickel Subsulfide Can Protect Human Fibroblasts From The Mutagenic Effect Of Benzo[A]Pyrene Diolepoxide, Samir M. Hamdan

Masters Theses

Cancer researchers are interested in identifying the environmental causes and synergistic influences of different carcinogens. It is important to examine the combined effect of multiple carcinogens since this is a more realistic representation of the true environmental situation in which we are exposed daily. Our study has reported that pretreating human fibroblasts with nickel subsulfide followed by the simultaneous treatment with both nickel subsulfide and benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide (BPDE) can protect human fibroblasts from the mutagenic effects of BPDE. These results correlate well with our previous chromium-BPDE co-treatment work, suggesting a transition metal dependent protective effect. This protective effect was dependent …

A Portable, Object-Oriented Library For Neural Network Simulation, Martin P. Franz

Masters Theses

A portable, object-oriented library for simulation of general Multi-layer Feedforward Neural Networks (MLFNs) is described. Unlike all-encompassing neural network simulation environments, the library was designed to allow convenient use in existing programs and in applications where training and testing data are generated using separate, often complex simulations.

The library' s design goals include modularity, portability, efficiency, correctness, compactness, and type-safety. To demonstrate how these objectives are met, competing architectural choices are presented, along with the criteria used for determining the strategy actually implemented. Sample applications using the library are presented, showing how the library' s class files are used in …

Synthesis, Characterization And Photophysical Behavior Of A Cr(Iii) Bimetallic System, Yan Chen

Masters Theses

Many binuclear transition metal complexes have been studied to understand the nature of interactions between the metal centers. People have found Simultaneous Pair Excitation phenomenon in some bimetallic system that can serve as a potential source of Non-Linear Optical behavior.

Thus a series of Cr₂ -([14]aneN₄)₂-X₄ⁿ⁺ complexes were synthesized and characterized. Only the cis,cis configuration was found. The results were compared with those of their monomer analogs. The electronic structures are very similar in both monomer and dimer complexes. The quantum yield, UV-Vis absorption and lifetime studies suggested a possible coupling between the …

Separation And Determination Of Monochlorophenols By Capillary Zones Electrophoresis, Zarina Yasmin Banu

Masters Theses

Chlorine has been widely used in industry. One of the most common uses of chlorine is in municipal water treatment plants. Chlorine reacts with a variety of organic compounds, among these are phenol and its derivatives which are commonly found in natural waters. When these compounds react with chlorine, a variety of chlorine substituted and oxidized products result depending on concentrations, pH, and temperature. In order to study these reactions it is necessary to separate and determine the various products produced.

Earlier studies have shown 3-chloro and 4-chlorophenol cannot be separated by commercial GLC columns. GC/MS (electron impact) measurements cannot …

Geosciences Newsletter- 1998, Department Of Geosciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 1, No. 23

• Dear Alumni and Friends
• Faculty News
• Department News
• Donations

A Generalization Of Cayley Graphs For Finite Fields, Dawn M. Jones

Dissertations

A central question in the area of topological graph theory is to find the genus of a given graph. In particular, the genus parameter has been studied for Cayley graphs. A Cayley graph is a representation of a group and a fixed generating set for that group. A group is said to be planar if there is a generating set which produces a planar Cayley graph. We say that a group is toroidal if there is a generating set that produces a toroidal Cayley graph and if there are no generating sets which produce a planar Cayley graph. Characterizations for …

Angle-Resolved Studies Of Inner Shell Excitations For Argon, Krypton And Xenon Using Third Generation Synchrotron Sources, Ahmad H. Farhat

Dissertations

This dissertation, which is in the area of atomic physics, concentrates on the study of the interaction between VUV-soft X-ray radiation and atoms in the gas phase. The main area of interest is the study of Auger decay in atoms utilizing the process known as the resonance Auger effect, where an inner shell electron is excited to an unfilled orbital followed by the ejection of an Auger electron. The measurements in this thesis were performed by using the high resolution Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics undulator beam line, which utilizes a spherical grating monochromator at the Advanced Light Source at …

Improvement Of Epa Method 8330: Complete Separation Of Explosives Using A Two Phase Approach, Michael J. Lang

Masters Theses

A wide range of primary and secondary contaminants is found in environmental matrices containing explosive residues. HPLC methodology for the detection of explosive is now standardized in EPA Method 8330, and represents the most common method currently used for explosive analysis. However, co-elution of some of the analytes occurs even using method 8330. As a result, explosive analysis using HPLC have required the use of a confirmation column in an additional analysis step.

In the current work, all of the compounds in the EPA 8330 explosives list were resolved using a single HPLC separation. While the EPA 8330 HPLC conditions …

A Study Of The Knowledge Structure Of Expert, Intermediate, And Novice Subjects In The Domain Of Physics, Jennifer L. Discenna

Dissertations

The objective of this research was to investigate the knowledge structure in physics by describing the knowledge of experts, intermediates, and novices. A review of the literature on expertise, physics knowledge, and conceptual structure provided two competing representations of physics knowledge: one defined as a hierarchy of models arranged from general to specific models, the second defined by theories which link knowledge together.

In order to investigate the two representations described above, a reiterative categorization task was employed. This task resulted in a hierarchical sort with larger piles at the top of the hierarchy and smaller piles at the bottom …

Units In Integral Group Rings For Direct Products, Richard M. Low

Dissertations

Given a finite group G and the ring of integers, one can form the integral group ring ZG . A natural problem to investigate is to find a description of the group of units for this ring ZG. Since the unit problem for integral group rings arises in the contexts of algebraic topology, number theory, and algebra, it is an important question to try to answer. For this reason, it has drawn the attention of researchers from diverse areas of mathematics.

Graham Higman (circa 1940) made substantial contributions to the solution of this problem, in the case where G was …

Surface Models Of Finite Geometries, Ramon Manuel Figueroa-Centeno

Dissertations

The standard non-Euclidean geometries, hyperbolic geometry and elliptical geometry, both arise by negating the parallel postulate of Euclid. Both these geometries share with Euclidean geometries an infinitude of points and lines. But also possible are many finite geometries. Among these are the class of projective geometries PG(m,q) of projective dimension m (m > 2) and the k-configurations. These mathematical objects, although primarily geometric in nature, provide related structures of combinatorial interest: block designs. These have applications in scheduling problems and the design of experiments for statistical analysis. Recently, A. T. White has added a topological flavor to the study …

Electron Emission Following The Interaction Of Slow Highly Charged Ions With Solids, Joseph W. Mcdonald

Dissertations

The interaction of highly-charged ions with surfaces involves many excitation processes of the surface atoms and the bulk material. One such process, the emission of electrons from surfaces due to the potential energy of the incident ions has been studied. The experimental results presented here confirm that the majority of electrons emitted as a result of highly-charged ions interacting with a solid surface have energies of about 20 eV. Auger processes contribute a smaller fraction of the total emitted electrons with increasing Z o f the projectile. This contribution to the total electron emission yield is found to be less …

Perturbed Hamiltonian System Of Two Parameters With Several Turning Points, Myeong Joon Ann

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Method For The Determination Of Purity Of Pnu-10483 Bulk Drug By Capillary Zone Electrophoresis, Gavin Gibson

Honors Theses

In this investigation, a method was developed for the determination of purity of the drug PNU-10483 using the technique of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). CZE was seen as a potential alternative to the formerly used procedure of ion-pair reversed phase highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Nearly five years earlier, a similar study was performed, in which an attempt was made to develop a method that used CZE to determine the purity of bulk drug and the potency of drug tablets. While this development was mostly successful, sporadically unpredictable results reduced the method's overall viability. These outliers were thought to be caused …

Groundwater Hydraulics And Slope Stability Analysis: Elements For Prediction Of Shoreline Recession, William W. Montgomery

Dissertations

Studies documenting the roles that geologic materials and groundwater play in Great Lakes bluff recession are rare. This study reports findings concerning relationships between bluff lithology, bluff hydrology, and bluff recession along a 10-mile stretch of eastern Lake Michigan shoreline in heterogeneous Pleistocene deposes. According to a newly-developed, field-tested, GIS-based methodology, bluffs in the study area can be characterized lithologically as sand, clay, or mixed sand/clay, and can be characterized hydrologically as exhibiting either high head or low head.

Geotechnical analysis indicates that Atterberg limits, index properties, consolidation state, and drainage conditions affect the shear strength of bluff materials. Silty …

A Paleoclimatic Study Of The Midwestern United States From The Stahle Isotope Records In Lake Sediments, Norman Alan Lovan

Dissertations

No abstract provided.