Digital Commons Network^™

Numerical Modeling Of Infrared Thermography Techniques Via Ansys, Hayder Abdulnabi Thajeel

Masters Theses

"Several inspection techniques have been developed over years. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) technology has become a widely accepted as a nondestructive inspection (NDI) technique for different fields and various applications as well. Infrared thermography stands as one of the most an attractive and a successful NDI technique that has ability to detect the object's surface/subsurface defects remotely based on observing and measuring the surface's emitted infrared heat radiation by using an infrared camera. The finite element modeling FEM ANSYS was successfully used for the modelling of several IRT techniques; such as Pulsed Thermography (PT) and Lock-in Thermography (LT) that can …

Native Plant Establishment Success Influenced By Centaurea Stoebe Control Method, Laurelin Marie Martin

Masters Theses

Invasive species frequently hinder restoration efforts. While the effectiveness of differing control methods are often reported, the impacts these methods have on the establishment of a native plant community are often unknown. To determine methods that effectively reduce spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) while enhancing native species establishment, we tested 12 treatment combinations consisting of an initial site preparation (mowing, mowing + clopyralid, or mowing + glyphosate), with combinations of annual adult knapweed hand pulling, and/or burning. We established 48 plots and applied site preparation treatments during summer 2008, seeded 23 native forbs and grasses during spring 2009, pulled …

Inkjet Printing Of Titanium Dioxide Photoanodes For Dye Sensitized Solar Cells, Jeffrey Corbet Johnson

Masters Theses

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) offer advantages over semiconductor solar cells including lower costs and relaxed material purity requirements. However, DSSC solar energy conversion efficiencies are lower than many competing photovoltaic technologies. Key to DSSC performance is the incorporation of nanocrystalline metal oxides to provide a large surface area for photosensitive dye loading. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the predominately used metal oxide. The structure of the TiO₂ layer determines charge transfer efficiency and the level of generated photocurrent. Common practice for high performance cells is to deposit a thin, compact TiO₂ coating followed by a thicker, more porous …

Effects Of Nonylphenol On Orientation By The Crayfish Orconectes Propinquus, Kathryn J. Page

Masters Theses

Nonylphenol is a widely used surfactant subject to ethoxylation and subsists in the environment for significant amounts of time. It has industrial, agricultural, and domestic uses, and makes its way into the aquatic ecosystem despite treatment of wastewater. Detrimental effects of nonylphenol are varied, but most notably endocrine disruption has been examined. Crayfish are a crucial invertebrate in freshwater ecosystems. They are omnivorous, and occupy a key position in the trophic web as both predator and prey. To determine if nonylphenol exposure has any effect on the orientation abilities of crayfish, I acutely (1 day) and chronically (4 days) exposed …

Changes In Vascular Reactivity Of Mesenteric Arteries Following Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, Benjamin Matthew Hake

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in vascular reactivity of mesenteric arteries resulting from hyperbaric oxygen treatment. It was hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen treatment alters vascular reactivity in mesenteric arteries due to enhanced production of ATP resulting in significantly larger responses to vasoactive stimuli. All arteries were dissected from porcine mesenteries and placed in Krebs- Henseleit solution. Arteries were initially mounted in isolated organ baths and passively loaded with tensions ranging from 1 to 25 grams at odd intervals to ascertain the optimal passive tension for studying mesenteric arteries. Following a 1-hour equilibration in Krebs-Henseleit solution, …

Comparison Of The Strength Of Harmony, Melodic Line, Rhythmic Variation, And Expressive Elements In Influencing Emotional Judgment In Music, Marilyn M. Moore

Masters Theses

Studies in the literature have been conducted that seem to establish that humans make consistent and similar emotional judgments when they are asked to describe an emotion that is being expressed musically. The present study targets four musical elements; harmony, melodic line, rhythmic variation, and expressive elements, to investigate which of these musical elements are most effective for influencing a listener to be able to recognize the composer's intended emotion of the music. There are eight original songs composed by the researcher, each song is assigned a specific intended emotional term. The eight songs are presented in five distinct conditions, …

La Oficina De La Mujer (Omm): A Conduit For Social Empowerment Among Women In A Small Guatemalan Lake Community, Rachel Volk

Masters Theses

La Oficina de Municipal de la Mujer, the Municipal Office of Women, is a recent creation of the Guatemalan central government meant to help address the inequalities that women experience each day. Like so many towns in Guatemala, La Laguna (pseudonym) contains high levels of poverty and unemployment. Here, women encounter difficulties finding employment, whether as a result of the poor economy or the bigotry arising from structural sexism and racism. My investigation of the OMM uses qualitative anthropological techniques to understand the purpose and effects that this organization has towards women‟s marginalized position in the town. The application of …

Firmware And Software For An Integrated Electrophysiology Data Acquisition And Stimulation System, Kyle D. Batzer

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the firmware and software design for a prototype electrophysiology experimentation system. The overall system, built on the work of previous students and developed with fellow graduate student Mr. Donovan Squires, provides eight channels of acquisition and four channel of arbitrary waveform generation for stimulation of biological systems. In order to show the performance of the system, a common electrophysiology experiment was performed on the giant axon of an earthworm and the results were compared to previously validated systems. The developed system is intended to support future work at the Neurobiology Engineering Laboratory at Western Michigan University.

The …

Still Siblings: The Perceived Importance Of Sibling Relationships For Foster Children, Jessica A. Church

Masters Theses

This research was conducted to answer the question “Do children who are perceived to have strong relationships with siblings and more access to their siblings have fewer problems adjusting to their foster care placement as observed by child welfare professionals?” This qualitative research project was completed through semi-structured interviews with professionals who work with children in foster care in a variety of ways (and may have worked with children in more than one way during their career in child welfare), such as foster care workers, counselors, and sibling visitation supervisors. The snowball sampling method was used in this research. These …

Use Of Polymer Rapid Tools As Functional Injection Mold Tooling, Sean Derrick

Masters Theses

Conventional tool making for injection molded plastics is expensive, time consuming, and generates a great deal of waste. Presently, industry is waiting for what is commonly referred to as Rapid Tooling (RT). The greatest opportunity for RT implementation would be the use of Additively Manufacturing (AM) technology. Specifically, AM techniques which use a high strength polymer resin substrate.

The following research is an initial feasibility study to determine if Polymer Rapid Tools (PRTs) could be used as functional injection mold tooling. The objective of the research was to determine if a PRT could mold a variety of features to a …

An Assessment Of Public Outreach With Children And Educators Conducted By The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Erica A. D’Elia

Masters Theses

Archaeological public outreach to children can be enhanced through collaboration with school educators. While archaeologists have begun to collaborate with local and descendant communities, they have been slow to engage in work with educators in the same manner. The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project provides the context for me to explore some of the current issues in public archaeology and the politics of education. My study was conducted to better understand the needs of both children and teachers. In my work with the archaeological summer camp for middle school students I seek to conceptualize how the camp enhances their educational …

Climate Change And Metapopulation Implications For Species Re/Introductions: A Spatial Analysis Of Suitable Habitat For The American Marten (Martes Americana) In Northern Michigan, Joshua Michael Green

Masters Theses

The American marten (Martes americana), which was extirpated from Michigan by 1939 due to logging and trapping, has cultural significance as a clan animal to Great Lakes Native American Tribes and ecological significance as a forest health indicator. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBD) is considering reintroduction, but several factors must first be considered in assessing the habitat suitability. The goals of this study were to 1) enhance an existing habitat suitability model by including additional relevant variables, 2) conduct a spatial analysis of the habitat within the study area using a metapopulation perspective and 3) incorporate climate …

The Relationships Between Internalized Heterosexism, Spirituality, And Mental Health In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Young Adults, Jon Raymond Bourn

Masters Theses

Minority stressors like internalized heterosexism have been found to be related to suicidality among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals (e.g., Savin-Williams & Ream, 2003). Additional research is needed, however, to better understand the factors that may serve as moderators (i.e., protective factors) in the relationships between minority stressors and negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and suicidality (e.g., Szymanski et al., 2008). The current study attempted to examine the relationships between internalized heterosexism and two negative mental health outcomes associated with suicide, psychache (defined as unbearable psychological pain) and depression, in a sample of LGB young adults. Given …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Cascade Evolution Near Pre-Existing Defects, Nathan Allen Capps

Masters Theses

Radiation damage causes significant changes to material microstructure and properties as a result of the processes of atomic defect creation followed by the inherently multiscale defect diffusion and reaction processes. In particular, the overlap of displacement cascades is believed important in the development of visible defect clusters in thin film, in-situ ion irradiation studies. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how impurities and damage induced by displacement cascades impact damage creation as well as the mobility of a pre-existing interstitial-type dislocation loop in BCC iron. It is well known that impurities, such as oxygen, carbon, and …

The Performance Of Bacterial Phytosensing Transgenic Tobacco Under Field Conditions, Michael Harrison Fethe

Masters Theses

Currently the platforms for wide-area detection of environmental contamination are limited. Therefore, there is interest in developing new platforms, especially for use in crop plants to detect and report the presence of biotic and abiotic stress agents. A biosensor uses a biological organism or substrate to detect the presence of an elicitor (i.e., heavy metal, TNT, or bacteria). The foundational groundwork to create biosensors in transgenic plants exists. The creation of bacterial phytosensing transgenic tobacco containing an orange fluorescent protein (OFP) reporter driven by synthetic pathogen-inducible promoters provides a fluorescent signal when infected with phytopathogens for earlier detection in the …

The Onset Of Purely Elastic And Thermo-Elastic Instabilities In The Taylor-Couette Flow: Influence Of Gap Ratio And Fluid Thermal Sensitivity, Mohammadreza Ghanbari

Masters Theses

Linear stability analysis of Taylor-Couette flow of dilute polymeric solutions has been performed by using two prototypical constitutive equations for polymeric solutions namely, the Oldroyd-B and the FENE-P models. The hydrodynamic stability characteristics of the flow in presence and absence of thermal effects and in the limit of vanishing fluid inertia have been determined using an eigenvalue analysis. Particular attention has been paid to accurate determination of the instability onset conditions as a function of fluid thermal sensitivity and gap ratio. We observe a reduction in the critical Deborah, Dec for the instability onset as the gap ratio and fluid …

Investigation Of Composite Patch Performance Under Low-Velocity Impact Loading, Geoffrey Roy Goodmiller

Masters Theses

Bonded fiber composite repair on damaged metal structures can be an effective method to restore load carrying capacity or increase damage resistance. Low velocity impacts can cause barely visible damage to the interior structure of laminated composites. Delamination between plies is of particular concern in these composites. Impacts may also create disbonds between the patch and metal substrate. A building-block approach was suggested to model impact damage to composite patches. Composite, adhesive, and metal substrate damage models were separately validated and then combined. Cohesive Zone theory modeled interlaminar composite damage and adhesive damage. Hashin failure criteria with energy dissipation based …

Affect Regulation Mediators Of Associations Between Attachment, Cortisol, And Psychological Symptoms, Ji-Sun Jeong

Masters Theses

This study investigated affect regulation as a mediator of the relationship between insecure attachment and (a) psychological symptoms of distress, and (b) cortisol levels, in a sample of first year undergraduate students. Participants (N = 125) attended group data collection sessions on campus where they completed both salivary collection and a paper and pencil survey. Survey measures included the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale to assess adult attachment, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale to assess emotional intelligence as a positive coping resource, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale to assess affect regulation problems, and the Outcome Questionnaire 30.2 to assess psychological …

Hydrogeology Of The Little River Animal Agriculture Environmental Research Unit And Impacts Of Dairy Operations On Groundwater, Robert Wesley Hunter

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the development of an integrated hydrogeologic/hydrologic site assessment and groundwater/surface water quality monitoring program at the University of Tennessee – Little River Dairy Farm, located near Townsend, TN. Hydrologic/hydrogeologic investigations of streams and groundwater at the site have been underway for more than 5 years, and these are expected to provide background data for assessing impacts of dairy wastes. The lower half of the ~180 ha site consists of low-relief fields used for row crops, which are underlain by 4 – 9 m of alluvial deposits on top of black shale or limestone that include sinkhole features. …

Biomechanical Difference Between Chronic Ankle Instability Individuals And Healthy Individuals During Landing On Flat, Inverted And Combined Surfaces, Xuan Liu

Masters Theses

Lateral ankle sprains most frequently occurs during sports. Individuals who experienced a first time ankle sprain had a high reoccurrence rate and residual symptoms and functional instability leading to chronic ankle instability (CAI). The purpose of this study was to investigate kinematic and kinetic differences between CAI individuals and healthy subjects in single-leg drop landing on a flat surface, an inverted surface and a combined surface of inversion and plantarflexion. A total of 17 subjects (6 subjects with chronic ankle instability, 11 healthy subjects) performed five trails in each of four dynamic movement conditions of drop landing from a height …

A Compact Ultra Wide-Band Radar System For See-Through-Wall Applications, Stephen G. Magoon

Masters Theses

A compact Ultra wide-band (UWB) radar system for through-wall applications has been developed. Lightweight, portable and low in power consumption, it is configurable for both bistatic and monostatic operation. It uses low cost, off-the-shelf surface mount components, and is ideally suited for ranging, 3d-imaging, and wall characterization. Tests show excellent pulse width generation, resulting in very broadband transmission (0.7 – 5.6 GHz) and good receiver dynamic range, resulting in accurate measurement capabilities.

Maximizing Lignin Yield Using Experimental Design Analyzing The Impact Of Solvent Composition And Feedstock Particle Size On The Organosolv Process In The Presence Of Feedstock Contamination, Hagen Maraun

Masters Theses

The depletion of fossil feedstock and the unfavorable environmental effects accompanying by its exploitation are the driving forces in the process of transitioning to renewable feedstock as the primary resource. Similar to petrorefineries, a new modern biorefinery would use biomass to produce a variety of different chemical products and transportation fuels. Lignin, a potential low-cost, high volume output process stream derived from lignocellulosic biomass is currently being researched to better support the economics of the future biorefinery. In this study, experimental design was used to determine the optimal level for each process factor in an organosolv fractionation process that targets …

Demonstration Of A Targeted Proteome Characterization Approach For Examining Specific Metabolic Pathways In Complex Bacterial Systems, Adam Justin Martin

Masters Theses

Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) is a powerful tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) tool frequently implemented in proteomic studies to provide targeted analysis of proteins and peptides. The selectivity that MRM delivers is so strong that it provides the quadrupole mass spectrometers (QQQ), on which it is commonly employed, with pertinence to proteomic studies that they would otherwise lack for their relatively low resolution. Additionally, this increased level of selectivity is sufficient enough to supplant complicated fractionation techniques, additional dimensions of chromatography, and 24 hour long MS/MS experiments in simplistic biological samples. But there is a deficiency of evidence to determine the …

Temperament In Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder And In Their Young Children Aged 4-7, Christina Gabriela Mena

Masters Theses

In this study we sampled mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and their young children ages 4-7 (n = 36), as well as normative comparisons (n = 34). We assessed temperament in both mothers and their children. Mothers reported on their own and on their children’s temperament. Controlling for maternal current major depressive disorder and education, mothers with BPD reported more negative affectivity, less effortful control, and less positive affect than did normative comparison mothers. Children whose mothers had BPD had more negative affectivity (fear and frustration) and less effortful control, but not less smiling and laughter. When …

Adolescents’ Definitions Of Cheating In Romantic Relationships, Jerika C. Norona

Masters Theses

Cheating is a common occurrence in dating relationships. However, less is known about cheating in adolescence, a time when many individuals first experience romantic relationships. An important initial step for research is examining how adolescents define cheating in their romantic relationships. The present study used Thematic Analysis, a qualitative analytic method, to explore adolescents’ definitions of cheating and how these definitions might differ across age and gender. Furthermore, the present study examined patterns that emerged within definitions. Results indicate that definitions of cheating included a range of behaviors, such as engaging in physical activity, romantic/intimate involvement, spending time with, talking …

Prioritizing Stormwater Management: Comparing Integrated Best Management Practices In Urban And Suburban Neighborhoods, Danielle Kathleen Norman

Masters Theses

This thesis demonstrates a comparison of two design proposals that integrate Best Management Practices to address stormwater runoff volumes in urban and suburban neighborhoods. The thesis investigation includes the selection and comparison of two diverse neighborhoods to inform design decisions. It then assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the design proposal in each neighborhood.

The site selection process is a method that overlays specific criterion such as residential land use, topographic features, and median household income (3) nested scales; the watershed scale, the sub-watershed scale, and the neighborhood scale. For the purposes of this paper, nested scales are …

Population Dynamics Of The Louisiana Black Bear In The Upper Atchafalaya River Basin, Kaitlin Christine O'Connell

Masters Theses

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act as a result of habitat loss and human-related mortality. Two of the 3 sub-populations must be viable for delisting to occur. I collected hair samples from 2010 to 2012 in a DNA mark-recapture study to augment data collected from 2007 to 2009 in the Upper Atchafalaya River Basin (UARB) to estimate abundance (N), growth rate (λ), and apparent survival rates (φ) to ultimately be used in a population viability analysis. In addition, I evaluated the effects of the opening of the …

Automated Fragmentary Bone Matching, Ali Saad Mustafa

Masters Theses

Identification, reconstruction and matching of fragmentary bones are basic tasks required to accomplish quantification and analysis of fragmentary human remains derived from forensic contexts. Appropriate techniques for three-dimensional surface matching have received great attention in computer vision literature, and various methods have been proposed for matching fragmentary meshes; however, many of these methods lack automation, speed and/or suffer from high sensitivity to noise. In addition, reconstruction of fragementary bones along with identification in the presence of reference model to compare with in an automatic scheme have not been addressed. In order to address these issues, we used a multi-stage technique …

Manipulating Lipolysis To Reduce Fatness And Improve Carcass Composition In Commercial Broilers, Rodney Barnett Ray

Masters Theses

Betaine has been studied as an osmolyte and methyl group donor for many species. Recent studies have found that betaine is able to increase muscle mass and reduce adiposity in meat type broilers birds. In experiment one, eight-hundred Cobb 500 broiler chicks were supplemented with betaine at 0.6 g/kg and 1.2g/kg. Birds had access to feed and water for ad libitum consumption for forty-two, forty-four, and forty-nine days. Birds and feed were weighed weekly. Carcass parameters (dress weight, breast percentage, and leg percentage) were taken at slaughter on days forty- two and forty-nine. Blood was taken at day forty-four to …

Practitioner Rankings Of Entry-Level Competencies For Public Health Nutrition, Courtney Teal Schand

Masters Theses

Background: The Association of Graduate Programs in Public Health Nutrition’s graduate competencies were updated and refined by an expert panel and a survey of Public Health Nutrition (PHN) academicians, which resulted in 58 proposed competencies in five domains, Food and Nutrition Science, Advocacy, Research and Evaluation, Communication and Cultural Competency, and Management and Leadership.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were 1) to determine if differences existed in calculated domain scores of practitioner rankings of essentiality for the PHN graduate competencies by demographic variables of interest (current position, years of experience, education, and/or intent to retire); 2) to determine the …