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University of Central Florida

2010

Theses/Dissertations

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Swine Flu, Drug Wars, And Riots: Media And Tourism In Oaxaca, Mexico, Joshua Crosby Jan 2010

Swine Flu, Drug Wars, And Riots: Media And Tourism In Oaxaca, Mexico, Joshua Crosby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how travelers evaluate and process mass media news stories about local events. Thanks to its colonial architecture, white sand beaches, and indigenous history, the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca receives millions of foreign and domestic visitors each year. Between 2006 and through 2009 Oaxaca has received a great deal of negative international media coverage, including stories of street riots, drug violence, and the fall out of the H1N1 flu virus. The overall impact of these unfavorable reports, and the resulting decline in the local tourism industry, has been predictable and severe. This thesis is based on anthropological …

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Fabrication Of Integrated Optofluidic Circuits In Chalcogenide Glass Using Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing, Troy P. Anderson Jan 2010

Fabrication Of Integrated Optofluidic Circuits In Chalcogenide Glass Using Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing, Troy P. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Femtosecond laser direct writing (FLDW) is a versatile process that uses focused femtosecond pulses to modify the physical structure of a material, which can result in a shift of optical properties such as the linear and nonlinear refractive index. If the photon energy of the femtosecond pulses lies below the material bandgap, nonlinear absorption rather than linear absorption becomes the dominant mechanism of energy transfer to the material. In this manner, a focused femtosecond pulse train can be used to fabricate functional features such as optical waveguides, diffractive optical elements, or micro-fluidic elements within the volume of a transparent medium. …

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Particle Separation Through Taylor-Couette Flow And Dielectrophoretic Trapping, Christopher Paul Bock Jan 2010

Particle Separation Through Taylor-Couette Flow And Dielectrophoretic Trapping, Christopher Paul Bock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the world population approaches seven billion, a greater strain is put on the resources necessary to sustain life. One of the most basic and essential resources is water and while two thirds of the earth is covered by water, the majority is either salt water (oceans and seas) or it is too contaminated to drink. The purpose of this project is to develop a portable device capable of testing whether a specific source of water (i.e. lake, river, well…) is potable. There are numerous filtration techniques that can remove contaminants and make even the dirtiest water clean enough for …

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Synthesis, Structure, And Catalytic Properties Of Size-Selected Platinum Nanoparticles, Simon Armando Covone Jan 2010

Synthesis, Structure, And Catalytic Properties Of Size-Selected Platinum Nanoparticles, Simon Armando Covone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of heterogeneous catalysis is well established in chemical synthesis, energy, and environmental engineering applications. Supported Pt nanoparticles have been widely reported to act as catalysts in a vast number of chemical reactions. In this report, the performance of Pt/ZrO2 nanocatalyst for the decomposition of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol is investigated. The potential of each alcohol for the production of H2 and other relevant products in the presence of a catalyst is studied. All the alcohols studied show some decomposition activity below 200°C which increased with increasing temperature. In all cases, high selectivity towards H2 formation is observed. …

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Structural Health Monitoring Of A Stadium For Evaluating Human Comfort And Structural Performance, Hasan Sazak Jan 2010

Structural Health Monitoring Of A Stadium For Evaluating Human Comfort And Structural Performance, Hasan Sazak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Light and rapid constructions as well as considerations such as improved line of sight and increased capacity for modern stadium structures make them vulnerable for vibration serviceability problems. These problems are also observed at convention centers, large shopping malls, concert halls and ballrooms. Especially when the individuals in a crowd are involved in some sort of coordinated motion, this type of loading creates the most potential for high levels of vibration. In order to understand the causes of vibration, vibration levels, service and safety levels, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) can be implemented to track and evaluate performance of a structure …

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A New Measure Of Parental Self-Efficacy For Enacting Healthy Lifestyles In Their Children, Jonathan W. Decker Jan 2010

A New Measure Of Parental Self-Efficacy For Enacting Healthy Lifestyles In Their Children, Jonathan W. Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issue of childhood obesity has become a pandemic of increasing prevalence and concern. Many behaviors contributing to overweight and obesity, such as dietary intake and physical activity, are learned in childhood. It is known that parents are key agents for change in their children. Therefore, interventions aimed at decreasing childhood overweight and obesity should be targeted at parents. Many parents state that they know the healthy dietary and physical activity behaviors they should adopt for their children, but lack the confidence, or self-efficacy, to enact these behaviors. A review of the literature for self-efficacy for behaviors in these domains …

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The Moderating Effect Of Gender On The Use Of Humor During An Employment Interview That's What She Said, Laura C. Gallaher Jan 2010

The Moderating Effect Of Gender On The Use Of Humor During An Employment Interview That's What She Said, Laura C. Gallaher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the moderating impact of gender on the use of humor during employment interviews. Consistent with expectancy violation theory, I hypothesized that the use of humor by female candidates would cause more extreme evaluations than the use of humor by male candidates. In other words, when positive (affiliative) humor is used, females will be rated more positively than males, but when negative (aggressive) humor is used, females will be rated more negatively than males. I also hypothesized that the relationship between humor condition and evaluations would be partially mediated by state positive affect. I also posed a research …

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Non-Erotic Cognitive Distractions During Sexual Activity In Heterosexual And Gay College Students, Katharine Lacefield Jan 2010

Non-Erotic Cognitive Distractions During Sexual Activity In Heterosexual And Gay College Students, Katharine Lacefield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined 100 gay and lesbian (LG) college students and 100 heterosexual students to determine whether group differences existed in frequency of and anxiety related to non-erotic cognitive distractions during sexual activity. Non-erotic cognitive distractions is a descriptive term to include both self-evaluative behaviors related to physical performance and body image concerns, as well as additional cognitive distractions (e.g., contracting an STI or emotional concerns) during sexual activity. Participants, matched on gender (96 males and 104 females), age, and ethnicity, completed questionnaires assessing frequency and associated anxiety related to non-erotic cognitive distractions during sexual activity, as well as …

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Social Capital Influences In Women At Risk For Poor Pregnancy Outcomes, Jennifer James-Mesloh Jan 2010

Social Capital Influences In Women At Risk For Poor Pregnancy Outcomes, Jennifer James-Mesloh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poor pregnancy outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality are societal indicators of a nation’s health status. These indicators have remained at exceptionally high rates in the United States despite the levels of resources and technology. In the quest to understand that discrepancy, among the ranges of theories and models for explaining poor pregnancy outcomes an emerging concept is coming to attention: social capital. In order to test whether maternal social capital has an impact on pregnancy outcome, women in a Healthy Start program were surveyed over a 13-month period to assess their social capital levels and …

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A Costume Design For Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, Harmony Mcchesney Jan 2010

A Costume Design For Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, Harmony Mcchesney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents my process as the Costume Designer for the University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre’s production of Richard O’Brien’s musical, The Rocky Horror Show. The production opened on March 29, 2007 and ran for fifteen performances in the University of Central Florida’s Mainstage Theatre before closing on April 15, 2007. This document presents the analysis, research, and design process that I used to create the costume design for the performance. In this thesis, I document how I combined my own analysis and research with that of the director and design team to take the design from concept, through …

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Sexual Dimorphism Of The Posterior Pelvis Of The Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection And The William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, Lauren M. Novak Jan 2010

Sexual Dimorphism Of The Posterior Pelvis Of The Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection And The William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, Lauren M. Novak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies of sexual dimorphism of the sacrum have generally been conducted as part of broader population research or on living persons and cadavers, making the anthropological literature sparse. The greater sciatic notch and the preauricular sulcus of the ilium have both been found to show sexual dimorphism, although studies of these traits often have ambiguous definitions of characteristics and lack the standardization of measurements. This research was designed to reexamine and test the accuracy of standard scoring systems and measurements of the posterior pelvis used to determine sex and to establish new formulae combining traits and measurements to accurately determine …

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The Relevance Of Time-To-Digital Converters To Small Platform Direction Finding Systems, Paul Jeffrey Nelson Jan 2010

The Relevance Of Time-To-Digital Converters To Small Platform Direction Finding Systems, Paul Jeffrey Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores a Time-Difference-of-Arrival (TDOA) approach to radio direction finding, utilizing picosecond-resolution Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs). By measuring the relative time of arrival of a pulsed RF signal impinging on an antenna array, direction of arrival (DOA) can be ascertained. This technology enables versatile DOA calculation on platforms only several meters in length, and offers various size, weight, power, and cost advantages when compared to present DF technologies. A short baseline S-band TDOA DF system utilizing TDCs is designed, fabricated, and tested in a laboratory environment. This research suggests that such a DF system based on TDCs provides sufficient accuracy …

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Intention To Use A Personal Health Record (Phr) A Cross Sectional View Of The Characteristics And Opinions Of Patients Of One Internal Medicine Practice, Alice M. Noblin Jan 2010

Intention To Use A Personal Health Record (Phr) A Cross Sectional View Of The Characteristics And Opinions Of Patients Of One Internal Medicine Practice, Alice M. Noblin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A personal health record (PHR) allows a patient to exert control over his/her healthcare by enhancing communication with healthcare providers. According to research, patients find value in having access to information contained in their medical records. Often a glossary is required to aid in interpreting the information and understanding the content. However, giving patients the ability to speak with providers about their medical conditions empowers them to participate as informed healthcare consumers. The majority of patients (75%) at Medical Specialists expressed their intention to adopt the PHR if it is made available to them. Although the perceived usefulness of a …

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Magnetic Nanosensors For Multiplexed Bacterial Pathogenesis Identification, Charalambos Kaittanis Jan 2010

Magnetic Nanosensors For Multiplexed Bacterial Pathogenesis Identification, Charalambos Kaittanis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing diagnostic modalities that utilize nanomaterials and miniaturized detectors can have an impact in point-of-care diagnostics. Diagnostic systems that (i) are sensitive, robust, and portable, (ii) allow detection in clinical samples, (iii) require minimal sample preparation yielding results quickly, and (iv) can simultaneously quantify multiple targets, would have a great potential in biomedical research and public healthcare. Bacterial infections still cause pathogenesis throughout the world (Chapter I). The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains, the potential appearance of bacterial pandemics, the increased occurrence of bacterial nosocomial infections, the wide-scale food poisoning incidents and the use of bacteria in biowarfare highlight the …

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Student Attitudes Towards Campus Law Enforcement Exploring Issues Of Confidence And Utilization, Vivian J. Ortiz Jan 2010

Student Attitudes Towards Campus Law Enforcement Exploring Issues Of Confidence And Utilization, Vivian J. Ortiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The assessment of citizen attitudes has, in recent decades, become standard practice within the criminal justice system. However, in assessing the criminal justice system, most research has gathered data on the attitudes and perceptions of specific populations within society (i.e. older citizens) and has not really focused on younger age groups, or more specifically, students enrolled in colleges and universities. The present study examined attitudes of college students in the areas of confidence and utilization of campus police. Utilizing a non-random convenience sample of undergraduate and graduate students (N=393) at a large four-year research institution, participants completed a 21-item survey …

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Characterization Of Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films For Photovoltaic Applications, Bojanna P. Shantheyanda Jan 2010

Characterization Of Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films For Photovoltaic Applications, Bojanna P. Shantheyanda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growing demand for clean source of energy in the recent years has increased the manufacture of solar cells for converting sun energy directly into electricity. Research has been carried out around the world to make a cheaper and more efficient solar cell technology by employing new architectural designs and developing new materials to serve as light absorbers and charge carriers. Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide thin film, a Transparent conductive Oxides (TCO) is used as a window material in the solar cell these days. Its increased stability in the reduced ambient, less expensive and more abundance make it popular among the …

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Correlation Between Preparation Parameters And Properties Of Molybdenum Back Contact Layer For Cigs Thin Film Solar Cells, Eigo Takahashi Jan 2010

Correlation Between Preparation Parameters And Properties Of Molybdenum Back Contact Layer For Cigs Thin Film Solar Cells, Eigo Takahashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molybdenum (Mo) thin film back contact layers for thin film CuIn(1-x)GaxSe2 (CIGS) solar cells were deposited onto soda lime glass substrates using a direct current (DC) planar magnetron sputtering deposition technique. Requirements for the Mo thin film as a back contact layer for CIGS solar cells are various. Sheet resistance, contact resistance to the CIGS absorber, optical reflectance, surface morphology, and adhesion to the glass substrate are the most important properties that the Mo thin film back contact layer must satisfy. Experiments were carried out under various combinations of sputtering power and working gas pressure, for it is well known …

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Experimental Studies Of The Heat Transfer Characteristics Of Silica Nanoparticle Water-Based Dispersion In Pool Boiling Using Nichrome Flat Ribbons And Wires, Diane Marie Vazquez Jan 2010

Experimental Studies Of The Heat Transfer Characteristics Of Silica Nanoparticle Water-Based Dispersion In Pool Boiling Using Nichrome Flat Ribbons And Wires, Diane Marie Vazquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work deals with a study of enhanced critical heat flux (CHF) and burnout heat flux (BHF) in pool boiling of water with suspended silica nanoparticles using ribbon-type and wire heaters. Previously our group and other researchers have reported three-digit percentage increase in critical heat flux in silica nanofluids. This study investigates the effect of various heater surface dimensions and cross-sectional shapes on pool boiling heat transfer characteristics of water and water-based nanofluids. CHF and BHF were analyzed for circular and rectangular cross-section nichrome wires and ribbons of increasing sizes in the range of 0.32mm to 2.38mm width, approaching a …

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Assessing The Psychometric Properties Of The Counseling Competencies Scale A Measure Of Counseling Skills, Dispositions, And Behaviors, Jacqueline Melissa Swank Jan 2010

Assessing The Psychometric Properties Of The Counseling Competencies Scale A Measure Of Counseling Skills, Dispositions, And Behaviors, Jacqueline Melissa Swank

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ethical and competent professional counselors are needed to provide quality counseling services to the public. Counselor educators and supervisors have the responsibility of training competent counselors. Furthermore, counselors and counselors-in-training have the responsibility of continually assessing their own development and implementing measures to increase their competency. Assessment instruments have sought to measure counseling competencies through evaluating counseling skills. However, a paucity of research exists that examines counseling competencies in a comprehensive manner using a psychometrically sound approach. Therefore, a need exists for a psychometrically sound assessment instrument that measures the construct of counseling competencies in a holistic manner. Thus, the …

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Development Of Reductive Metal Systems For The Degradation Of Energetic Compounds (Tatp, Tnt, And Rdx), Rebecca L. Albo Jan 2010

Development Of Reductive Metal Systems For The Degradation Of Energetic Compounds (Tatp, Tnt, And Rdx), Rebecca L. Albo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a cyclic peroxide explosive, is frequently used by terrorists and amateur chemists due to the ease of synthesis and the availability of reagents. TATP is extremely sensitive to shock, heat, and friction thus a safe and rapid method for treating TATP is needed. The major objective of this dissertation was to develop in situ methodologies that could safely degrade TATP in various field situations. Initial studies focused on using zero-valent metals and mechanically alloyed metals to decompose TATP samples in both aqueous and organic solutions. The metal systems tested included zero-valent iron, magnesium, and magnesium bimetal, Mg/Pd. …

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Mechanical Properties Of Carbon Nanotube/Metal Composites, Ying Sun Jan 2010

Mechanical Properties Of Carbon Nanotube/Metal Composites, Ying Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have captured a great deal of attention worldwide since their discovery in 1991. CNTs are considered to be the stiffest and strongest material due to their perfect atomic arrangement and intrinsic strong in-plane sp 2—sp 2 covalent bonds between carbon atoms. In addition to mechanical properties, CNTs have also shown exceptional chemical, electrical and thermal properties. All these aspects make CNTs promising candidates in the development of novel multi-functional nanocomposites. Utilizing CNTs as fillers to develop advanced nanocomposites still remains a challenge, due to the lack of fundamental understanding of both material processing at the nanometer scale …

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Analysis And Optimization Of A Solar Thermal Collector With Integrated Storage, Monica Bonadies Jan 2010

Analysis And Optimization Of A Solar Thermal Collector With Integrated Storage, Monica Bonadies

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solar energy, a topic popular in the United States during the oil embargo of the 1970’s, has become a relevant topic once more with the current focus on reducing greenhouse emissions. Solar thermal energy in particular has become popular as it uses existing steam turbine technology to produce electricity, with the benefit of using solar energy to produce steam rather than coal or nuclear heat sources. Solar thermal can also be used at lower temperatures to heat water for pools or for residential use. While this energy source has its benefits, it has the problem of being opportunistic – the …

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Characterizing The Vertical Structure And Structural Diversity Of Florida Oak Scrub Vegetation Using Discrete-Return Lidar, James J. Angelo Jan 2010

Characterizing The Vertical Structure And Structural Diversity Of Florida Oak Scrub Vegetation Using Discrete-Return Lidar, James J. Angelo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertical structure, the top-to-bottom arrangement of aboveground vegetation, is an important component of forest and shrubland ecosystems. For many decades, ecologists have used foliage height profiles and other measures of vertical structure to identify discrete stages in post-disturbance succession and to quantify the heterogeneity of vegetation. Such studies have, however, required resource-intensive field surveys and have been limited to relatively small spatial extents (e.g.,

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Job Satisfaction And Values Of Counselors In Private Practice And Agency Settings, Laura Cunningham Jan 2010

Job Satisfaction And Values Of Counselors In Private Practice And Agency Settings, Laura Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counselors can work at a variety of locations (Vacc & Loesch, 2000). Yet very little is known about each setting (King, 2007) and what type of counselors would have an optimum fit. Burnout is a pervasive issue in counseling (Lawson, 2007) and providing good-fit information could lessen turnover and burnout from the counseling field. The primary purpose of this study included investigating the differences between job satisfaction and value priorities of counselors in private practice and agency settings. The overarching theoretical framework included Frank Parsons‘ counselors, with seventy-two agency counselors and sixty-three private practitioners. Counselors completed two assessments and a …

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Experimental And Theoretical Approaches To Characterization Of Electronic Nonlinearities In Direct-Gap Semiconductors, Claudiu Cirloganu Jan 2010

Experimental And Theoretical Approaches To Characterization Of Electronic Nonlinearities In Direct-Gap Semiconductors, Claudiu Cirloganu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The general goal of this dissertation is to provide a comprehensive description of the limitations of established theories on bound electronic nonlinearities in direct-gap semiconductors by performing various experiments on wide and narrow bandgap semiconductors along with developing theoretical models. Nondegenerate two-photon absorption (2PA) is studied in several semiconductors showing orders of magnitude enhancement over the degenerate counterpart. In addition, three-photon absorption (3PA) is studied in ZnSe and other semiconductors and a new theory using a Kane 4-band model is developed which fits new data well. Finally, the narrow gap semiconductor InSb is studied with regard to multiphoton absorption, free-carrier …

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Search For Gas Giants Around Late-M Dwarfs, Rohit Deshpande Jan 2010

Search For Gas Giants Around Late-M Dwarfs, Rohit Deshpande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We carried out a near-infrared radial velocity search for Jupiter-mass planets around 36 late M dwarfs. This survey was the first of its kind undertaken to monitor radial velocity variability of these faint dwarfs. For this unique survey we employed the 10-m Keck II on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. With a resolution of 20,000 on the near-infrared spectrograph, NIRSPEC, we monitored these stars over four epochs in 2007. In addition to the measurement of relative radial velocity we established physical properties of these stars. The physical properties of M dwarfs we determined included the identification of neutral atomic lines, the …

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A Decision Support System Methodology For The Selection Of Rapid Prototyping Technologies For Investment-Cast Gas Turbine Parts, Angela Gallagher Jan 2010

A Decision Support System Methodology For The Selection Of Rapid Prototyping Technologies For Investment-Cast Gas Turbine Parts, Angela Gallagher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the power generation sector, more specifically, the gas turbine industry, competition has forced the lead time-to-market for product advancements to be more important than ever. For design engineers, this means that product design iterations and final product development must be completed within both critical time windows and budgetary constraints. Therefore, two areas that have received significant attention in the research and in practice are: (1) rapid prototyping technology development, and (2) rapid prototyping technology selection. Rapid prototyping technology selection is the focus of this research. In practice, selecting the rapid prototyping method that is acceptable for a specific design …

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Using Landscape Genetics To Assess Population Connectivity In A Habitat Generalist, Tyler Duncan Hether Jan 2010

Using Landscape Genetics To Assess Population Connectivity In A Habitat Generalist, Tyler Duncan Hether

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the nature of genetic variation in natural populations is an underlying theme of population genetics. In recent years population genetics has benefited from the incorporation of landscape and environmental data into pre-existing models of isolation by distance (IBD) to elucidate features influencing spatial genetic variation. Many of these landscape genetics studies have focused on populations separated by discrete barriers (e.g., mountain ridges) or species with specific habitat requirements (i.e., habitat specialists). One difficulty in using a landscape genetics approach for taxa with less stringent habitat requirements (i.e., generalists) is the lack of obvious barriers to gene flow and preference …

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Toward A Real-Time Celestial Body Information System, Brian Mitchell Guise Jan 2010

Toward A Real-Time Celestial Body Information System, Brian Mitchell Guise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration maintains a challenging schedule of planned and on-going space exploration missions that extend to the outer reaches of our galaxy. New missions represent a huge investment, in terms of actual costs for equipment and support infrastructure, and personnel training. The success of a mission is critical considering both the monetary investment, and for manned missions, the lives which are put at risk. Tragedies involving Challenger, Columbia, Apollo 7, and the near tragedy of Apollo 13 exemplify that space exploration is a dangerous endeavor, posing extreme environmental conditions on both equipment and personnel. NASA, the …

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Bit-Rate Aware Reconfigurable Architecture For H.264/Avc Deblocking Filter, Rakan Khraisha Jan 2010

Bit-Rate Aware Reconfigurable Architecture For H.264/Avc Deblocking Filter, Rakan Khraisha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In H.264/AVC, DeBlocking Filter (DBF) achieves bit rate savings and it is used to improve visual quality by reducing the presence of blocking artifacts. However, these advantages come at the expense of increasing computational complexity of the DBF due to highly adaptive mode decision and small 4x4 block size. The DBF easily accounts for one third of the computational complexity of the decoder. The computational complexity required for various target applications from mobile to high definition video applications varies significantly. Therefore, it becomes apparent to design efficient architecture to adapt to different requirements. In this work, we exploit the scalability …

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