Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Comic Books On Students' Reading Attitudes, Sheila Lambert

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Expression And Characterization Of Hyperthermophilic Aqujfex Pyrophilus Flagellin Protein In Mesophilic Bacterial Systems, Srivani V. Mukkamala

Masters Theses

The structural protein flagellin, FlaA derived from hyperthermophilic Aquifex pyrophilus, a rod shaped eubacterial species that grows near hydrothermal vents at an optimum growth temperature of 85 °C forms elongated thermostable flagella nanotubes. FlaA was successfully over-expressed for the first time using pET28c plasmid in E. coli BL21 cells at 37 °C. The protein was isolated from inclusion bodies that were solubilized by alkaline pH, refolded by dialysis and purified by chromatographic techniques. The FlaA was characterized by fluorescence, light scattering and circular dichroism. The FlaA was not in the correct folded form to form flagella as efforts to …

Nonprofit Arts Organizations In Grand Rapids, Michigan: An Exploratory Study, Ruth Terry

Masters Theses

To date little research at the local level has been conducted regarding arts and cultural nonprofits. This information is necessary to determine the future course of this sub-sector in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The purpose of this survey is to create a “snapshot” of area nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts agencies and provide information to arts professionals, arts advocates, and policymakers. Through a review of the literature, questions for an exploratory survey were generated. Findings show that participants in this sample found the local arts community and their own financial systems effective. However, additional findings and other studies show that further investigation is …

Resilience And Depressive Symptoms In Midlife Women, Keverne L. Lehman

Masters Theses

Rates of depression are increasing throughout the world, with women experiencing depression twice as often as men. This study utilized the Neuman Systems Model to examine the relationship in midlife women between depressive symptoms and resilience. Women ages 35-55, selected from four health care settings, completed written surveys on demographic information, life events, depression, and resilience. Results supported depressive symptoms as a health concern for mid-life women: 32% reporting current or previous treatment for depression, and 24% screening positive for depression. Resilience, measured by the Polk Resilience Patterns Scale, was related to education, perceived health, conflict in the living situation, …

Enhanced Print Performance Of Water-Based Rotogravure Inks Through Rheological Balance, Rurou Mai

Masters Theses

Water-based inks have been of more and more interest to the printing and ink industry. Compared with solvent-based inks, water-based inks have more complex formulations because of their higher surface tensions, lower drying speed, foaming problems, pH balance, and different rheological properties. This work explores the significant effects of various rheology modifiers, including non-associative and associative thickeners, on the rheological properties of a water-based rotogravure ink system. Particular emphasis is given to thickening efficiency, pH stability, particle size, system compatibility, temperature stability, and printability on vinyl substrates. Wire-wound lab rods and a Moser Sheet-fed Gravure Proofing Press were employed to …

Photochemical Route To The Production Of Fullerene Allotropes, Olga Ovchinnikova

Masters Theses

A photochemical route to the formation of two C₆₀ molecules which are bridged by one and up to eighteen carbon atoms to form bucky-dumbbell shaped molecules, i.e., C₆₀ > C < C₆₀ to C₆₀ > C = C = C = C = C = C = C = C = C = C < C₆₀, etc. is described. Irradiation of C60 in solutions of chloroform and iodine (magenta color) with pulsed laser light from the frequency tripled (355 nm) Nd:YAG laser produced a dark crimson color. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) negative ion mass spectroscopy was used to …

A Distributed Solution For Visual Sensor Networks To Detect Targets In Crowds, Cheng Qian

Masters Theses

Visual sensor networks (VSNs), a novel concept about fulfilling vision tasks by a network of collaborative visual sensors, has been attracting more and more attentions these days. This thesis introduces some pioneering research on developing a distributed algorithm for VSNs to detect targets in a cluttered scene. The algorithm is aimed to achieve excellent performances on both detection accuracy and energy efficiency.

Based on a statistical model of the cluttered scene, the development starts with a centralized version where all the nodes send visual data to a central node and the central node invokes an iterative prioritization strategy (IPS) to …

Experimental Analyses Of An Atmospheric Pressure Electrical Plasma Decontaminator, Eric Pius Pradeep

Masters Theses

Electrical Gas Plasmas have been widely utilized in the frontiers of sterilization and disinfection of hazardous chemicals and unsafe microorganisms. In this research Atmospheric Pressure Non-thermal Plasma has been employed using various working gases such as air, helium and nitrogen to study its decontamination effects. Focus is given to analyze the constituents of the plasma such as UV light, charged particles, and chemical components produced during the operation of the discharge which influences the incapacitation of the exposed entities, in this specific study, only bacteria and bacteriophages were exposed. Biological tests involved the cultivation of bacteria and bacteriophages on Petri …

Application Of Energy Analysis To The Problem Of Propulsion Driven Nutation Instability Of Spin Stabilized Spacecraft, Tina Morina Rice

Masters Theses

Propulsion driven nutation instability in spin stabilized spacecraft was first observed in the late nineteen seventies. It’s often referred to as the PAM-D coning anomaly, as it first occurred in the McDonnell Douglas Payload Assist Module (PAM-D). Propulsion driven nutation instability is a performance degrading phenomenon that occurs in spin-stabilized spacecraft used for the raising of satellite payloads to geosynchronous orbit. It is characterized by a coning (wobbling) motion that grows to a large degree during the final seconds of motor burn. The instability is clearly related to the increased size of the rocket needed to support the increasing …

The Functional Application Of The Propeller Load Curve For Fixed Pitch Propellers, Rebecca Barnett Speas

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to help the flight test community by using the propeller load curve (also known as prop load) to find brake horsepower (BHP) easily with only a propeller tachometer. This thesis also covers the equation for the propeller load curve.

The flight test was done using a Piper Cherokee 180 equipped with a Lycoming 0-360-A3A engine. The flight test data were collected at University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI). This data were then compared to the prop load from the engine manufacturer.

Based on the result of this flight test, using the prop load equation from the Lycoming …

"One Major Step Short Of War:” Jimmy Carter, The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan, And The Last Chapter Of The Cold War, George Uriah

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the foreign policy of Jimmy Carter and his Administration in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. The study is based on newly declassified documents from the Jimmy Carter Presidential in Atlanta, Georgia as well as published material by and about Jimmy Carter.

The thesis challenges the popular caricatures of Jimmy Carter, that he was ineffective in matters of foreign policy and that he was largely concerned with establishing a legacy as a peacemaker. The thesis contends that Jimmy Carter was a much more cunning Cold Warrior than …

Flood Tolerance Of Hardwood Bottomland Oak Seedlings, Jonathan Ray Mccurry

Masters Theses

The afforestation of hardwood bottomlands is an expanding conservation practice in the southeastern United States. Understanding relative flood tolerance of hardwood bottomland seedlings is fundamental to ensuring restoration success. Thus, I examined the combined effects of 3 early growing-season flood duration treatments (0, 15, and 30 days) and the natural flood regime on willow (Quercus phellos, WIO), Nuttall (Q nuttallii, NTO) and overcup (Q lyrata, OCO) oak seedlings in a 6-ha replanted west Tennessee bottomland. Seedlings (n = 5,003) were planted from January-March 2004 in a randomized design. All seedlings were uniquely tagged, survival …

Controlling The Dispersion Of Nanoparticles In Polymer Matrices, Chang-Uk Lee

Masters Theses

The dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix is a critical parameter to design and realize targeted morphologies and properties of a final polymer-based nanocomposite. This thesis presents experimental studies to investigate the dispersion of nanoparticles is polymer matrices using specific intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the nanoparticles and polymer matrices under two main topics.

The first topic is the impact of sample preparation processes on the properties of polymer carbon nanotube nanocomposites. Polymer nanocomposites composed of poly(styrene-co-vinyl phenol) (PSVPh) copolymers and 5 wt % multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared from three different methods, including melt-mixing and solution casting. The …

Ethics In Architecture: The Application Of An Ethic Of Care In The Design Of A Cancer Treatment Center, Emily Lynn Hardin

Masters Theses

The project chosen for this thesis is a healthcare facility, specifically a Cancer Treatment Center, as it is a paradigmatic project for application of an ethic of care. Moreover, healthcare facilities are not given due attention in architectural discourse and education despite the importance of their role in society. While healthcare specific organizations have begun to recognize and research the effects of built environment on health, this newfound concern seems to be generally limited to those organizations. Broader discourse involving other related professions, i.e. architecture, philosophy, psychology, sociology, etc., could benefit research as healthcare entails not only the treatment of …

A Peculiar Diversion: The Social Ramifications Of Quarter-Racing In The Eighteenth-Century Tidewater Virginia, Tollie Jean Banker

Masters Theses

Virginia's horse culture combined with the colonists' obsession with immediate gratification created the perfect ingredients for the formation of quarter-racing. Not only did short racing afford the ideal outlet for tidewater Virginians' independence, competitiveness, and materialism but it also functioned as a tool to police social order. Consequently, seventh and eighteenth-century tidewater Virginians embraced their new innovation, transforming it from an ad hoc drag race into a formalized competition complete with specially made race courses, racing covenants that stipulated the how, when, and where of the race, and even public notices announcing upcoming events.

As a result Quarter-racing became one …

Mothers’ Attitudes About Childhood Nutrition Coverage In Magazines And Newspapers, Carrie Suzanne Baker

Masters Theses

This study explores mothers’ attitudes toward magazine and newspaper coverage of childhood nutrition issues. The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased in recent years along with media coverage of obesity and obesity issues. This growing concern has posed a problem for society and parents.

Focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with mothers who read magazines and newspapers. These interviews explored mothers’ nutrition habits, knowledge of obesity and, overall, their attitudes about childhood nutrition topics, such a childhood obesity, as they are presented in magazines and newspapers.

Multiple Resolution Nonparametric Classifiers, David Laurence Beck

Masters Theses

Bayesian discriminant functions provide optimal classification decision boundaries in the sense of minimizing the average error rate. An operational assumption is that the probability density functions for the individual classes are either known a priori or can be estimated from the data through the use of estimating techniques. The use of Parzen- windows is a popular and theoretically sound choice for such estimation. However, while the minimal average error rate can be achieved when combining Bayes Rule with Parzen-window density estimation, the latter is computationally costly to the point where it may lead to unacceptable run-time performance. We present the …

Insights Into The Etheostoma Spectabile Species Complex: Incongruence Between Mitochondrial And Nuclear Gene Sequence Data, Christen M. Bossu

Masters Theses

Hybridization is recognized as an evolutionary process that can provide a significant source of genetic variation and whose genetic consequences have been investigated across a wide taxonomic range of plants and animals. Darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) are a clade with documented interspecific hybridization and many species with a recent evolutionary origin, yet most molecular phylogenetic analyses of darters to date have relied primarily on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Inferring relationships within and between closely related species using a single locus gene tree is potentially confounded by introgression as well as retention of ancestral polymorphisms. This can lead to incongruence between the …

Lignin Composites With Phenol-Acrylates Cured By Electron Beam, Seth N. Bowman

Masters Theses

As the major by-product of the pulp and paper industry, determining a use for lignin represents a key priority to almost any bio-materials research organization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction with and effects of lignin within phenol- acrylate composites cured by electron beam, characterizing changes to both physical and chemical properties. In order to more fully characterize the effects of lignin, results of pure lignin as well as cellulose samples subjected to electron beam radiation and tested by FT-IR are presented. For the composite material, results of both DMA and FT-IR spectroscopy will be presented. …

An Analysis Of Bayesian Methods In Determining The Viability Of Perinatal Remains, Tiffanie Sue Cave

Masters Theses

Bayes’ theorem is a conditional probability formula with the potential for aiding in the development of more accurate age-at-death estimations in perinatal remains. This investigation tested the validity of a Bayesian method for aging by applying the formula to 495 sets of historical Native American remains from several Arikara sites in South Dakota. The dates for these sites range from the 1600’s to the 1830’s. Dr. Oystein E. Olsen generously provided the reference sample data of 348 sets of perinatal remains from Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway collected between January 1988 and December 1998. The goal of this analysis …

Development Of Novel Synthetic Methods Utilizing Organometallic Reagents And Total Synthesis Of Eupomatilone 2, Chunlan Chen

Masters Theses

This dissertation summarizes the development of novel synthetic methods involving organometallic reagents and their application in the total synthesis of the natural product eupomatilone 2. These newly discovered reactions include the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of allyl acetates with organosiloxanes and the diastereoselective synthesis of cis- and trans-a-methylene-y-lactones utilizing Baylis-Hillman adducts as precursors. Another important aspect of the research is the application of some of the methods in total synthesis of eupomatilone 2.

The new synthetic methodologies involving organometallic reagents developed in this dissertation are important transformations in modern organic synthesis. Mild reaction conditions, tolerance of various organic functional groups, and high …

Debating Development Help: Ngo Fieldworker Perspectives On Street And Urban Poor Children In Ghana, Richard D. Darby

Masters Theses

This ethnographic investigation of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS) questions the cultural appropriateness of its policies and practices. By situating CAS in a historical context of colonialism and structural adjustment reforms, I show how it is responsive to a legitimating environment that consists of private donors, international finance institutions, and the Ghanaian government, all of which put pressure on CAS to specifically target "street children" and to adopt a policy of choice that places primary responsibility for development on the individual child. I argue that the legitimating environment is neoliberal in orientation, especially with respect …

Retrofit Reconfigurable Flight Control System And The F/A-18c, Matthew E. Doyle

Masters Theses

The United States Navy has completed the initial flight test of a Reconfigurable Control Law System (RCLAWS) on the F/A-18C. The purpose of reconfigurable control is to allow for the safe operation of an aircraft that has experienced a sudden change in aircraft dynamics resulting from aircraft damage or flight control effector damage. The RCLAWS utilized during this flight test are novel in that they are designed to augment the production flight control system instead of replacing it. In order to reduce verification and certification requirements, this retrofit reconfigurable methodology supplements pilot commands to compensate for undesirable aircraft dynamics instead …

Evaluation Of Socioeconomic Characteristics Of Farmers Who Choose To Adopt A New Type Of Cropand Factors That Influence The Decision To Adopt Switchgrass For Energy Production, Pamela C. Ellis

Masters Theses

Evaluating farmers’ perceptions and obtaining feedback about the adoption of a new crop is necessary for improving the efficiency of research, technology exchange, and information flow to policymakers. New technology has created new uses for non- traditional crops (such as switchgrass) as a sustainable source of energy. With new technology utilizing non-traditional crop uses, it is important to discern and understand the determinants of farmers’ behavior and attitudes toward new crop adoption rather than new technology adoption. Farmers must analyze financial and social costs and benefits of new crops, farming practices, and economic activities. Better understanding of the factors farmers …

Changes In Perceptions Of Social Support, Constructive Communication And Marital Satisfaction In Couples Participating In A Marital Enrichment Program, Nikki N. Frousakis

Masters Theses

Marital enrichment programs have been gaining considerable recognition in the past several decades. Thousands of individuals participate in these programs yearly. However, the particular effects of enrichment programs are still under investigation, and many remain empirically unanalyzed and their effectiveness undetermined. Also, many dyadic interventions focus on helping couples improve their communication skills and become more socially supportive of their partner. This study explored changes in levels of perceived social support, constructive communication, and marital satisfaction in couples participating in a marital enrichment program, Marriage Alive. Couples who completed all 3 phases of the study (i.e., pre-seminar, post-seminar, 2 month …

An Analysis Of Female Roles In Popular Sports Video Games, Brennan W. Galloway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles and portrayal of female characters in popular sports video games. The 15 best-selling sports games of 2005 were played by the researcher without a time-limit or specified path within the game. Gameplay was videotaped and analyzed using a qualitative, descriptive participant- observation model (Glesne, 2006). This method is unique to video game analysis, as previous studies have used quantitative methods. Gameplay was typically about three hours for each game, and copious notes were taken during gameplay. Roles were then analyzed using a framework from previous work in both sports media …

An Evaluation Of The Ah-64 Night Vision Systems For Use In 21st Century Urban Combat, John Kevin Heinecke

Masters Theses

Currently one of the most arduous and dangerous aviation missions for the military attack helicopter pilot is the night combat mission. The mission entails flight at close proximity to the ground and obstacles such as wires, trees, and buildings in an effort to avoid detection by enemy air defense and insurgent small arms fire. Night flight requires the use of augmented vision systems and enhanced aircraft stability and control systems to allow pilots to effectively see and negotiate those hazards that would otherwise be visible during daylight.

The U.S. Army currently fields two variants of augmented visionics, the Aviator Night …

An International Corridor In The Making?: Immigrant-Owned Entrepreneurial Establishments In Birmingham, Alabama, Paul N. Mcdaniel

Masters Theses

Immigration is changing the U.S. South in unprecedented ways. The South is no longer nearly the exclusive domain of whites and blacks as Hispanics and Asians comprise increasingly influential minorities in towns and cities throughout the region. Immigrants, many of whom are recent arrivals, are choosing to start entrepreneurial business ventures rather than go to work for someone else. This research examines immigrant-owned entrepreneurial establishments along two business corridors in metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama. It answers the following questions: (1) Why is an international corridor developing as opposed to a single group ethnic enclave? (2) What initially brought immigrant-entrepreneurs to Birmingham, …

“Design, Development And Characterization Of A Thermal Sensor Brick System For Modular Robotics, Nikhil Arun Naik

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the work on thermal imaging sensor brick (TISB) system for modular robotics. The research demonstrates the design, development and characterization of the TISB system. The TISB system is based on the design philosophy of sensor bricks for modular robotics. In under vehicle surveillance for threat detection, which is a target application of this work we have demonstrated the advantages of the TISB system over purely vision-based systems. We have highlighted the advantages of the TISB system as an illumination invariant threat detection system for detecting hidden threat objects in the undercarriage of a car. We have compared …

Cooling Of Qps Modular Coils Using Embedded Copper Tubes, Shankar Narasimhaswami

Masters Theses

In an era of insatiable appetite for energy, mankind is challenged to develop a sustainable, safe and clean means of energy production, which would virtually eliminate the existing dependence on fossil fuels. In this regard, Nuclear Fusion technology would give man a quantum leap to mark a near end to the long-term energy concerns and redefine the basis of energy production on earth and elsewhere. This explanation holds rationale on two principal elements 1-Abundant supply of cheap fusion fuel and 2-Surpassingly superior energy production efficiency.

But, as every boon comes with a ‘But’, the criticality of technology is that fusion …