Digital Commons Network^™

Death As A Process : Human Decomposition In An Insect-Restricted Environment, Kimberly Dawn Tomlinson

Masters Theses

Many view death as an event; however, the death investigator must perceive death as a process that is catalyzed by cellular breakdown and ultimately results in skeletal remains. Yet, a gap persists in the· understanding of the causal events inherent to the human decomposition process. In order to gain a clearer understanding of these causal events, research must focus on internal factors of decomposition, specifically autolysis and putrefaction. However, in order to observe the contribution of autolysis and putrefaction to the process of human decomposition, external factors proven to grossly manipulate these effects, as perceived by the senses, must be …

An Information Management System For A Large-Scale Biological Collaboration, Hsin-Neng Wang

Masters Theses

The main goal of this project is to design and construct a collaborative information management system to promote the research of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA), a consortium formed to explore the neural mechanisms that link stress, anxiety and excessive alcohol consumption. Building this collaborative bioinformatics system across geographic and disciplinary barriers poses several challenges. We are developing several systems to gather and analyze data from the different INIA researchers. The INIA Core System (INIACS) has been designed and developed to support the exchange of data about samples and results between the core analysis labs and the research …

The Effect Of Shoe Inserts On The Kinematics Of The Lower Extremity And Center Of Pressure During Treadmill Running, Michael George Wortley

Masters Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different orthotic shoe inserts on kinematics of the lower extremity and center of pressure (COP) during treadmill running. Design: The study design was an experimental investigation of five different orthotic insert conditions. Background: Orthotic shoe inserts have been used to treat a wide variety of running injuries. Despite their high success rate, the mode of action of orthotics is not well understood. Orthotics are often prescribed to reduce overpronation that has traditionally been evaluated through tibiocalcaneal eversion. The increased use of three-dimensional (3-D) kinematic methods in recent years …

Stream Water Quality Modeling In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park., Thomas Wayne Barnett

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine water quality in the acid-impacted Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). Water samples have been collected roughly quarterly at ninety sampling sites throughout the Park. These samples were analyzed for pH, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), conductivity, major cations, and major anions. This thesis utilizes data from samples collected from October, 1993 to November, 2002.

The trout fisheries of the GRSM are considered some of the best in the eastern United States. However, fisheries biologists at the GRSM believe that some of the streams that once supported trout populations twenty or thirty years …

Modeling Of Circulation Zone And Shear Layers In Coaxial Injectors, Clayton Andrew White

Masters Theses

Gaseous/gaseous hydrogen oxygen shear coaxial injectors were modeled to investigate grid parameters affecting solution and to determine if a steady state solution might exist if only one circulation zone was present. The General Equation Mesh Solver (GEMS), which implements the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the k-ω turbulence model, was used to conduct the study. The Gambit grid generator was used to construct computational grids. Different grids were compared in a search for the optimum configuration while residual levels were monitored in search of a steady state solution.

Isosurface Extraction In The Visualization Toolkit Using The Extrema Skeleton Algorithm, Subha Parvathy Mahaadevan

Masters Theses

Generating isosurfaces is a very useful technique in data visualization for understanding the distribution of scalar data. Often, when the size of the data set is really large, as in the case with data produced by medical imaging applications, engineering simulations or geographic information systems applications, the use of traditional methods like marching cubes makes repeated generation of isosurfaces a very time consuming task. This thesis investigated the use of the Extrema Skeleton algorithm to speed up repeated isosurface generation in the visualization package, Visualization Toolkit (VTK). The objective was to reduce the number of non-isosurface cells visited to generate …

The Willie J. Spencer Eco-Retirement Village, Laura Leah Ogle

Masters Theses

The purpose of this project was to synthesize two ideas; the dire need for innovative, elder-care environments, and eco-villages. The project investigates the elderly population dilemmas facing the nation, the current systems in elder care, and some of the innovations emerging in this area. The findings are daunting. The elder population is growing exponentially, and the current systems, many in jeopardy, barely accommodate existing needs. Accommodating existing needs is only part of the problem. The needs of the elderly must be provided for in an innovative, loving, caring, and nurturing environment. The study goes on to investigate eco-villages. Eco-villages are …

An Assessment Of Responses In The British Press To Muslim Immigrants 1978-1989, Nashwa Mohamed Van Houts

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Rebuilding Burlington, Illabelle H. Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the extent to which architectural design contributes to the revitalization of a declining urban community. It contends that architecture is more than the building of shops and squares; it can be the building of community, pride, and hope. Buildings such as these are assembled from the visions of the local people, with respect for their history, their struggle, and their dreams. The setting for this thesis investigation is the Burlington community of Knoxville, Tennessee. Racist policies expressed in earlier years by overcrowded slums, urban renewal, and disinvestment have left Burlington in distress. Its continued decline is a …

Contemporary Approaches To The Solution Of The Integer Programming Problem, Djavanshir Gadjiev

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to provide analysis of the modem development of the methods for solution to the integer linear programming problem. The thesis simultaneously discusses some main approaches that lead to the development of the algorithms for the solution to the integer linear programming problem. Chapter 1 introduces the Generalized Linear Programming Problem alongside with the properties of a solution to the Linear Programming Problem. The simplex procedure presented to solve the Linear Programming Problem by adding slack variables along with the artificial-basis technique. Chapter 2 refers to the primal-dual simplex procedure. The dual simplex algorithm reflects …

Combination Of Pca And Dwt Features From Hyperspectral Images For Skin Tumor Detection, John Thomas Fletcher

Masters Theses

In this paper, the detection of skin tumors using hyperspectral fluorescence images of poultry carcasses is investigated. Skin tumors are not always visually obvious. The visual region of the spectrum may be too limited to meet all the requirements so that the tumors may be accurately classified so the multiple bands from hyperspectral imaging may be of some use. Each of the hyperspectral fluorescence images will consist of 65 spectral bands ranging from 425 nm to 711 nm. Multiple detection schemes will utilized to provide adequate classification rates. Principal component analysis PCA) and discrete wavelet transforms (DWT) are utilized to …

A Class Of Functions That Are Quasiconvex But Not Polyconvex, Catherine S. Remus

Masters Theses

In 1991 V. Sverak [11] gave an example of a function that was invariant and quasiconvex but not polyconvex. We have generalized this example to a wide class of functions that meet certain ellipticity and growth conditions. Quasiconvexity is one necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of solutions to the minimization problem in elliptic P.D.E. theory. Invariance is frequently a requirement of the stored energy function in Calculus of Variation approaches to elasticity problems.

Effects Of Economic Transition On Income, Occupation, And Racial Distributions In Birmingham, Alabama 1970-1990, Kendrick James Curtis

Masters Theses

Manufacturing no longer constitutes the predominant economic activity in advanced economies. This leading role has been replaced by the provision of services. As economies experience increasing concentrations in service sector occupations, one must consider the effects such alterations have on the intraurban distributions of occupation, income, and race. The link between economic restructuring and increased sociospatial inequality in global cities has been subject to recent study. Changes at other levels of the urban hierarchy have not been addressed. To examine effects in a middle tier metropolitan area, Birmingham, Alabama was selected as the site of my research. Though an important …

Testing The Transfer Of Hydrologic Model Parameters Across Scales: Modeling The Emory River, Daddy’S Creek, And Crooked Fork Watersheds., Benjamin Bryan Arthur

Masters Theses

Modeling the hydrologic response of small watersheds is often hindered by lack of data. We cannot calibrate robust models without ample and sufficiently accurate precipitation and discharge measurements. Limited data prevent the calibration process from estimating parameter values that adequately depict the physical characteristics of the watershed. But physical characteristics change gradually over space and hydrologic processes behave in predictable ways across scales. These factors suggest that the modeling of data-limited small watersheds could be improved by using the physical characteristics of a large, data-rich watershed to estimate the characteristics of a small watershed.

This thesis presents such an application. …

Genomic Data Analysis Using Grid-Based Computing, Bhanu Prasad Rekapalli

Masters Theses

Microarray experiments generate a plethora of genomic data; therefore we need techniques and architectures to analyze this data more quickly. This thesis presents a solution for reducing the computation time of a highly computationally intensive data analysis part of a genomic application. The application used is the Stanford Microarray Database (SMD). SMD's implementation, working, and analysis features are described. The reasons for choosing the computationally intensive problems of the SMD, and the background importance of these problems are presented. This thesis presents an effective parallel solution to the computational problem, including the difficulties faced with the parallelization of the problem …

Benefits Of Dance Education : The Perceptions Of College Dance Students, Laura Leitner Shields

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine college dance students' perceptions of the contributions of dance education to their lives. Its primary goal was to develop a picture of the benefits of dance through the thoughts and words of dancers. An open-ended dance questionnaire designed to ascertain the students' thoughts on the benefits of dance education in their lives and a demographic questionnaire designed to provide information on the dancers' levels of ability were administered to dance students at a major University in the Southeast United States. Eighty-six and eight tenths percent of the students enrolled in dance classes …

An Analysis Of Liquid Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) Use In Broiler Production Houses To Control In-House Ammonia (Nh3) Concentrations And Naturally-Occurring Salmonella And Campylobacter; The Development Of An Nh3 Emission Factor For A Typical Tennessee Broiler House., Kenneth A. Armstrong

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Process - Structure – Property Relationships Of Electrospun Nano Fibers, Sudhakar Jagannathan

Masters Theses

Electrospinning is a process by which fibers with diameters as small as 15 nanometers are produced when a polymer solution is accelerated from a capillary towards a grounded target by an electric field. An investigation on the electrospinning process and the effect of its process variables on orientation, crystallinity, microstructure and mechanical properties of the fibers produced are made. Nylon 6, nylon 66 fibers and their blends from a solution of formic acid were produced on a stationary copper target as well as on a metal disc rotating at discrete variable speeds. The solution concentration of the polymers, distance of …

Effect Of Loading Frequency On Intervertebral Disc Cells., Kristen Nicole Loveless

Masters Theses

Cells of the intervertebral disc have a limited capacity for matrix repair and may contribute to the onset and progression of degenerative disc changes. Disc degeneration contributes to declining nutrition, loss of viable cells, cell senescence, post-translational modification of matrix proteins, accumulation of degraded matrix molecules, and fatigue failure of the matrix. During daily activities intervertebral discs are exposed to oscillatory hydrostatic loads. It is known that dynamic loads with critical frequencies close to that of the human spine resonant frequency (4-8 Hz) have a destructive effect on disc tissue properties. Whether this destructive effect is purely mechanical due to …

A Simulation Based Approach For Determining Maintenance Strategies, Vasanth Murthi

Masters Theses

Manufacturing organizations are continuously in the mode of identifying and implementing mechanisms to achieve a competitive edge. To this point manufacturers have recognized the critical role of equipment in the productivity of manufacturing operations. With the current trend of manufacturers attempting to lean out their production processes, primary and auxiliary equipment have become even more important to manufacturers as measured by productivity, quality, delivery, and cost metrics. As a result of the focus on lean manufacturing, maintenance management has found a new vigor and purpose to increase equipment capacity and capability. However, the most proactive maintenance strategy is not always …

Monte Carlo Simulations And Analysis Of Single-Molecule Detection And Imaging, Peter Williams

Masters Theses

Computer modeling and analysis methods are developed for two modes of operation of an instrument for sensitive fluorescence detection of individual dye-labeled molecules in solution. First, Monte Carlo simulations of experiments for single-molecule imaging (SMI) are extended to include effects of sample flow, sticking of molecules to surfaces, and the finite depth-of-focus of the optics. The results have a bearing on a patented method for high-speed single-molecule DNA sequencing. They indicate that the imaging of freely moving fluorescent labels within a microfluidic flowcell will be considerably more involved than that of immobilized molecules at a surface, which is the usual …

“A Hybrid Method For Selecting Scheduling Schemes In A Manufacturing Environment, Panagiotis Martinis

Masters Theses

Scheduling is defined as the allocation of resources, machinery or people, to accomplish specific tasks over a certain time-slot. Scheduling is one of the most important functions within an industrial system. Throughout a successful scheduling policy, the utilization of resources is optimized and goods are produced on time to meet demand, the basic elements that contribute to the welfare of the business. Simultaneously, scheduling has always been one of the most difficult and challenging tasks given the dynamic nature of the industrial environment. Under certain circumstances, it is often required revision of existing schedules. The action of revising existing schedules …

Distributional Changes Of The Fishes Of The Hatchie River In West Tennessee And North Mississippi, Benjamin Paul Keck

Masters Theses

The Hatchie River in northern Mississippi and western Tennessee is the only coastal plain river in TN that escaped the extensive channelization efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers in the region. As such, it is one of the last refuges for many of the endemic coastal plain fishes that have experienced wide spread extirpation. The Hatchie was thoroughly surveyed by W.C. Starnes in 1973. He concluded that barring extensive channelization of the system or increased deleterious agricultural practices the ichthyofauna of the Hatchie should remain intact. At that point 90 species had been recorded from the system and 109 …

Object Introduction, Exploration, And Play Behavior In Black-Throated Monitor Lizards (Varanus Albigularis Albigularis), Jennifer Diane Walton Manrod

Masters Theses

It is widely accepted that providing stimulus enrichment and opportunities to play is an important part of the development and maintenance of behavior and well-being in mammals. However, extending this idea to non-avian reptiles has barely been explored Observations reported by scientists, zookeepers, and others, however, have suggested that non-avian reptiles can and do perform some form of play and exploration with novel objects and may benefit from enriched environments. Varanids display several advanced mammalian-like characteristics (i.e. physiology, life history, and prey discrimination) compared to other reptiles, and it is plausible that higher cognitive behaviors are also present. It was …

A Meta-Analytic Examination Of The Dimensions Of Teacher Burnout And Demand And Resource Correlates, Jama Lynn Mcmahan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to use meta-analytic procedures to explore the associations between various demand and resource correlates and the dimensions of teacher burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Demand correlates included work overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, and student misbehavior. Resource correlates included peer support, supervisory support, and participation in decision.-making. The study was based on 42 studies with 41 independent samples and 14,742 respondents. Meta-analytic statistical procedures were used to test the following relationships: ( a) a positive relationship between emotional exhaustion and demand correlates, (b) a negative relationship between depersonalization and resource correlates, …

(Re)Imagining An Urban Identity : Knoxville And Its 1982 International Energy Exposition, Jennifer Bradley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the changing perceptions of identity in relation to urbanity in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 1982 International Energy Exposition was the pivotal event in this study, a study that spanned roughly a century of Knoxville urbanization. This study was done through primary sources such as city plans, energy studies, and programs of city revitalization, restoration, and beautification. The primary sources used were then compared to traditional urban and environmental historiographies to establish a sense of where Knoxville fit in. The research revealed that Knoxville mirrored much of Southern trends in urbanization until 1982. The …

Lanthanide Separations Using Rate-Controlled Solvent Extraction, Angela Denise Brooks

Masters Theses

In this study, certain trivalent lanthanide ions (Nd+3, Sm+3, Eu+3, D/3, Tm+3, and Yb+3) along with Sc+3 and Y-3, were complexed with DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and extracted into a water-immiscible kerosene layer containing DEHP A ( di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid). Data were collected by measuring the cation content of the post-extraction aqueous phase via atomic emission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetics and separation efficiencies in the extractions of binary mixtures via non-equilibrium solvent extraction and to compare these results with equilibrium results. In addition, mixture data were compared to results obtained from studies of extractions containing a …

Structure Function Studies Of Sml1, An Inhibitor Of Dna : Synthesis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Lezlee Turner Dice

Masters Theses

Smll is a protein found in yeast that is implicated in regulating ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and is a member of the Rad53/Mecl cell cycle checkpoint pathway. RNR catalyzes the reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. This action is the ratelimiting step of DNA precursor synthesis. 5ml 1 has been shown in other studies to bind to Rnrl, of yeast, thereby inhibiting the reduction activity when DNA synthesis is not required (Zhao, X., Mueller, EGO., and Rothstein, R. ( 1998)). The project presented here utilizes recombinant, truncated mutant forms of Smll and site-directed mutants to investigate the oligomerization and phosphorylation of Smll. …

Analysis Of Wind Tunnel Model Support System Vibration, Kristi D. Holland

Masters Theses

A number of wind tunnel test facilities are experiencing undesirable vibrations of the model support system. These vibrations lead to a number of problems. For example, when the model vibrates, the test conditions are no longer realistic. The dynamics of the model and sting cause the flow to become unsteady. The data collected from unsteady flow differs from that collected when the flow is steady state. Another major concern is that the vibrations could cause the model to come apart and damage components inside the wind tunnel, such as compressors or blades, which could be costly to repair. Therefore, limitations …

Injury Rates And The Effect Of Project Scheduling On Highway And Street Construction, Travis Strong

Masters Theses

In this study, the high injury rate in the construction industry is analyzed to identify trends. The study specifically addresses injuries that occurred in highway and street construction from 2002 to 2003 in Tennessee. Injury rates were established for injuries that occurred in overtime and during weeks of accelerated work. Injury rates by day of the week and craft were also established. This study found that days with greater than 8 hours worked and weeks with high percentages of over time pay affected injury rates.