The majority of current internet traffic is based on TCP. With the emergence of new applications, especially new multimedia applications, however, UDP-based traffic is expected to increase. Furthermore, multimedia applications have sparkled the development of protocols responding to congestion while behaving differently from TCP. As a result, network traffc is expected to become more and more diverse. The increasing link capacity further stimulates new applications utilizing higher bandwidths of future. Besides the traffic diversity, the network is also evolving around new technologies. These trends in the Internet motivate our research work. In this dissertation, modeling and estimation techniques of heterogeneous traffic at a router are presented. The idea of the presented techniques is that if the observed queue length and packet drop probability do not match the predictions from a model of responsive (TCP) traffic, then the error must come from non-responsive traffic; it can then be used for estimating the proportion of non-responsive traffic. The proposed scheme is based on the queue length history, packet drop history, expected TCP and queue dynamics. The effectiveness of the proposed techniques over a wide range of traffic scenarios is corroborated using NS-2 based simulations. Possible applications based on the estimation technique are discussed. The implementation of the estimation technique in the Linux kernel is presented in order to validate our estimation technique in a realistic network environment.

Due to an increased environmental awareness and thus, concerns over the use of fossil-based monomer for polymer production, there is an ongoing effort to find alternatives to non-renewable traditional monomers. This has ushered in the rapid growth in the development of bio-based materials such as green monomers and biodegradable polymers from vegetable and animal resources. Glycerol, as a renewable bio-based monomer, is an interesting candidate for sustainable polymer production. Glycerol is a renewable material that is a by-product of the transesterification of vegetable oils to biodiesel. Utilization of the excess glycerol derived from the growing biodiesel industry is important to oleochemical industries. The main objective of this thesis was to produce high molecular weight polyglycerol from glycerol and synthesize stimuli-responsive polyglycerol hydrogels. The work began with an investigation of the step-growth polymerization of glycerol to relatively high molecular weight polyglycerol using several catalysts. The catalytic reaction mechanisms were compared and the polymer products were fully analyzed. High molecular weight partially branched polyglycerol with multimodal molecular weight distributions was obtained. The polymerization of glycerol proceeded fastest with sulphuric acid as catalyst as indicated by the highest observed conversion of monomer along with the highest molecular weights. Theoretical models were used to predict the gel point and to calculate monomer functionality. High molecular weight polyglycerol was used to synthesize novel stimuli-responsive hydrogels. Real-time monitoring of step-growth polymerization of glycerol was investigated using in-line and off-line Attenuated Total Reflectance/Fourier Transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) technique.

There were five main purposes for the current thesis: (1) to address the need for more quantitative studies to evaluate student academic success within the inclusive classroom setting; (2) to apply a recently released program assessment rubric for special education services to determine the level of special education service delivery in the specified location; (3) to evaluate the reliability of the results of the rubric mandated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education (2008); (4) to compare the results of the standardized student achievement tests with the rubric results in relation to program effectiveness; and (5) to investigate potential confounding factors related to the current study design. The goal of this thesis was to provide information to the Living Sky School Division and to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education on the implementation and success of the inclusion model in a rural Saskatchewan setting. In addition, results were intended to provide information on assessment instruments employed in the measurement of program effectiveness. The analysis was conducted as a mixed-methods case study that included two parts: (1) the first assessment indicated that students with learning difficulties scored significantly higher on standardized academic achievement measures while in an inclusive setting as opposed to scores while in a pullout setting; and (2) the second assessment determined that special education service delivery was <i>emerging/developing</i> to <i>evident</i>. The correlation coefficient of rubric results was calculated at á = .69. A variety of general measurement issues, including small sample size and use of historical data, in relation to the current study design, were discussed.

Due to an increased environmental awareness and thus, concerns over the use of fossil-based monomer for polymer production, there is an ongoing effort to find alternatives to non-renewable traditional monomers. This has ushered in the rapid growth in the development of bio-based materials such as green monomers and biodegradable polymers from vegetable and animal resources. Glycerol, as a renewable bio-based monomer, is an interesting candidate for sustainable polymer production. Glycerol is a renewable material that is a by-product of the transesterification of vegetable oils to biodiesel. Utilization of the excess glycerol derived from the growing biodiesel industry is important to oleochemical industries. The main objective of this thesis was to produce high molecular weight polyglycerol from glycerol and synthesize stimuli-responsive polyglycerol hydrogels. The work began with an investigation of the step-growth polymerization of glycerol to relatively high molecular weight polyglycerol using several catalysts. The catalytic reaction mechanisms were compared and the polymer products were fully analyzed. High molecular weight partially branched polyglycerol with multimodal molecular weight distributions was obtained. The polymerization of glycerol proceeded fastest with sulphuric acid as catalyst as indicated by the highest observed conversion of monomer along with the highest molecular weights. Theoretical models were used to predict the gel point and to calculate monomer functionality. High molecular weight polyglycerol was used to synthesize novel stimuli-responsive hydrogels. Real-time monitoring of step-growth polymerization of glycerol was investigated using in-line and off-line Attenuated Total Reflectance/Fourier Transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) technique.

Chemotherapy regimens, one of the most common cancer treatments, are often dictated by dose-limiting toxicities. Also, the largest hurdle for translating novel biological therapies such as siRNA into the clinic is lack of an efficient delivery mechanism to get the therapeutic into malignant cells. Both of these situations would benefit from a minimally-invasive controlled release system that only delivers a therapeutic to the site of malignant tissue. This thesis presents work towards the creation of such a delivery platform using two novel material components: a thermally responsive poly[N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide] (NIPAAm-co-AAm) hydrogel and gold-silica nanoshells. Thermally responsive hydrogels undergo a physical property transition at their lower critical solution temperature (LCST). When transitioning from below to above the LCST, the hydrogel material expels large amounts of water and absorbed molecules. This phase change can be optically triggered by embedded gold-silica nanoshells, which rapidly transfer near-infrared (NIR) light energy into heat energy due to the surface plasmon resonance phenomena. When this material is loaded with absorbed drug molecules, drug release can be externally triggered by exposure to an NIR laser. Initial characterization of this material was accomplished using bulk hydrogel-nanoshell composites. Poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm)-nanoshell composites were synthesized via free radical polymerization. The LCST of the poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm) hydrogels was determined to be from 39-45 deg C, or slightly above physiologic temperature. The material was swollen in a drug solution of either doxorubicin (a common chemotherapeutic) or a 21bp dsDNA olgio (a model molecule for siRNA). Composites were then exposed to an 808 nm laser, which was found to trigger release of the therapeutics from the composite material. Further work has been done in translating this composite material to nano-scale sized particles, such that it could be injected intravenously, passively accumulate in tumor tissue, and be externally triggered to release therapeutics by exposure to an NIR laser. Sub-micron composite particles were synthesized using dissolvable gelatin templates with 500 nm wells. Analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that these particles consist of gold nanoshells surrounded by a hydrogel coating. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements were used to show that these particles display the same thermal properties as seen in the bulk material: collapsing in response to increased temperatures or NIR light exposure. Ultimately, the work in this thesis advances the development of a minimally-invasive, optically-triggered drug delivery platform.

Typical CCD digital imaging sensors are insensitive to ultraviolet ( UV ) radiation by virtue of the very shallow ( 2 nm ) penetration depth in silicon. This warrants the use of a post-packaging coating to up-covert the UV radiation to longer wavelengths. In this thesis, A light-converting inorganic coating has been developed to improve the responsivity of gated CCD image sensors in the UV ( from 250 - 400 nm ). The coating consists of a plastic acrylic layer doped with inorganic phosphors. The coating is deposited using a spin-coater typically used by the IC fabrication industry. Inorganic phosphors were selected over organic phosphors since they are quite well established and are typically used to coat light bulbs, an application that requires a long lifetime. In contrast, organic phosphors rapidly degrade upon exposure to UV radiation. The parameters associated with the coating and coated sensor are presented here. They include coating conversion effciency, penetration depth, photostability; and coated sensor quantum effciency, contrast transfer function and photo-response non-uniformity. The coatings presented here are a viable, cost-effective alternative to other UV response CCD designs.

There were five main purposes for the current thesis: (1) to address the need for more quantitative studies to evaluate student academic success within the inclusive classroom setting; (2) to apply a recently released program assessment rubric for special education services to determine the level of special education service delivery in the specified location; (3) to evaluate the reliability of the results of the rubric mandated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education (2008); (4) to compare the results of the standardized student achievement tests with the rubric results in relation to program effectiveness; and (5) to investigate potential confounding factors related to the current study design. The goal of this thesis was to provide information to the Living Sky School Division and to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education on the implementation and success of the inclusion model in a rural Saskatchewan setting. In addition, results were intended to provide information on assessment instruments employed in the measurement of program effectiveness. The analysis was conducted as a mixed-methods case study that included two parts: (1) the first assessment indicated that students with learning difficulties scored significantly higher on standardized academic achievement measures while in an inclusive setting as opposed to scores while in a pullout setting; and (2) the second assessment determined that special education service delivery was <i>emerging/developing</i> to <i>evident</i>. The correlation coefficient of rubric results was calculated at á = .69. A variety of general measurement issues, including small sample size and use of historical data, in relation to the current study design, were discussed.

Genetically engineered cells have the potential to solve the cell availability problem in developing a pancreatic tissue substitute for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes (IDD). These cells can be beta-cells genetically engineered so that they can be grown in culture, such as the betaTC3 and betaTC tet mouse insulinomas developed by Efrat et al; or, they can be non-beta cells genetically engineered to secrete insulin constitutively or under transcriptional regulation. The aim of this work was to thoroughly characterize and improve the secretion dynamics of pancreatic substitutes based on genetically engineered cells. One issue involved with the continuous beta-cell lines is the remodeling of the cells inside an encapsulated cell system, which may affect the insulin secretion dynamics exhibited by the construct. To evaluate the effect of remodeling on the secretion properties of the construct, we used a single-pass perfusion system to characterize the insulin secretion dynamics of different alginate beads in response to step-ups and downs in glucose concentration. Results indicated that the secretion dynamics of beads indeed changed after long-term culture. On the other hand, data with a growth-regulated cell line, betaTC tet cells, showed that the secretion profile of beads can be retained if the cell growth is suppressed. A major concern associated with genetically engineered cells of non-beta origin is that they generally exhibit sub-optimal insulin secretion characteristics relative to normal pancreatic islets. Instead of relying on molecular tools such as manipulating gene elements, our approach was to introduce a glucose-responsive material acting as a control barrier for insulin release from a device containing constitutively secreting cells. Proof-of-concept experiments were performed with a disk-shaped prototype based on recombinant HepG2 hepatomas or C2C12 myoblasts, which constitutively secreted insulin, and concanavalin A (con A)-based glucose-responsive material as the control barrier. Results demonstrated that the a hybrid pancreatic substitute consisting of constitutively secreting cells and glucose-responsive material has the potential to provide a more physiologic regulation of insulin release than the cells by themselves or in an inert material.

Temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)/ poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-yl methacrylate) (PTMA) copolymer are synthesiszed by radical polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. The catalytic oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones using the NIPAM/PTMA copolymer as a catalyst was investigated. The copolymer were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The results of temperature-dependent UV/Vis absorption show that the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is around 32-42 ¢J as the molecular percentage of PTMA is 0-6%. When the molecular percentage of PTMA is high than 6%, the LCST is not observed. The yield of the catalytic oxidation using the PNIPAM/PTMA copolymer as a catalyst is high than 99% within 30 min. The temperature-responsive PNIPAM/PTMA copolymer can be precipitated and purified by increasing temperature of the reaction solution higher than the LCST.

The colonias along the Texas-Mexico border are one of the most rapidly growing areas in Texas. Because of the relatively low income of the residents and an inadequate availability of transportation services, the need for basic social activities for the colonias cannot be properly met. The objectives of this study are to have a better comprehension of the status quo of these communities by examining the potential demand for an improved transportation service and evaluate the capacity and optimum service time interval of a new demand responsive transit "feeder" service within one representative colonia, El Cenizo. A comprehensive analysis of the results of a survey conducted through a questionnaire is presented to explain the existing travel patterns and potential demand for a feeder service. The results of this thesis and work from the subsequent simulation analysis showed that a single shuttle would be able to comfortably serve 150 passengers/day. It further showed that the optimal cycle length between consecutive departures from the terminal should be between 11-13 minutes for best service quality. This exploratory study should serve as a first step towards improving transportation services within these growing underprivileged communities especially those with demographics and geography similar to the target area of El Cenizo.