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Thermo-Oxidative Behavior Of Ptmg And Ppg Based Polyurethane-Ureas With Varying Degree Of Fluorination, Rogerio Silva Tocchetto

Masters Theses

The thermo-oxidative behavior of ether based fluorinated polyurethane elastomers was assessed. For achieving this goal, samples were exposed to high temperatures (118±3^oC) for periods of up to eight weeks. The chemical structure changes were monitored through infrared spectroscopy and several other test methods such as mass retention, contact angle measurements and viscosity measurements. Thermo-gravimetric analysis was done for the unexposed samples, and the mechanical properties of these materials were monitored through a multi-frequency dynamic mechanical analyzer.

The polyurethanes supplied for this study are ether based polymers synthesized in a two step process where on the first step 4,4’-diphenyl …

Composition Of The Coleoptera And Associated Insects Collected By Canopy Fogging Of Northern Red Oak (Quercus Rubra L.) Trees In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park And The University Of Tennessee Arboretum, Danny D. Trieff

Masters Theses

Oak forests dominate the forested landscape of Tennessee. These forests are vital to the economic and environmental health of the state. Northern red oak (NRO) trees, Quercus rubra L., are crucial components of these forests. Information regarding the status of coleopteran diversity associated with NRO is scattered and fragmented within the literature. Because of this, the insect fauna on NRO was assessed at three sites (Bee Tree Ridge, Mount Sterling, and Rich Mountain) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), and at one site at The University of Tennessee Arboretum (UT arboretum) by using the fogging method. These four …

F/A-18e/F Catapult Minimum End Airspeed Testing, Michael M. Wallace

Masters Theses

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the result of major upgrades to previous series of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft (F/A-18A/B/C/D). These upgrades resulted in an airplane requiring a complete Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. Catapult minimum end airspeed tests took place near the end of the three and a half year EMD program to provide data for the Aircraft Launch Bulletin for Operational Evaluation and fleet operations. The tests had occurred on average only every six years for any type of aircraft and 10-15 years for the same model of aircraft in the last 30 years.

The objective of this thesis …

Production Of Fine Carbon Nanoparticles And Hydrogen-Rich Gas From Laser-Thermal Cracking Of Methane Using Regenerable Iron Based Catalyst, Shenghong Qiu

Masters Theses

Carbon nanotubes, having remarkable material properties, hold tremendous potential applications. Among the synthesis methods, cracking of natural gas (methane) is one of the effective ways, which also produces hydrogen without any 2 CO emission. The reaction energy in conventional methods is usually supplied by burning some feedstock, which results in low thermal efficiency. A new approach, direct laser irradiation, will give an environmentally clean and efficient process to produce carbon nanoparticles.

Some exploratory studies on catalytic laser-thermal cracking of methane were carried out at UTSI. Regenerable iron-based ( 2 3 Fe / Al O ) catalyst made by soaking-drying technique …

Economic Feasibility Of Sludge Treatment By Nitro-Hydrolysis With Product Recovery And Recycle, Shinu George Simon

Masters Theses

Activated sludge treatment facilities generate a waste stream consisting of 0.25-4% sludge, which must be disposed of as a solid waste. Conventional methods such as landfills, land farming, wet air oxidation, and incineration. The main disadvantages of such disposal methods have been the high cost of operation and aesthetic objections.

The purpose of the research was to investigate the economic and technical feasibility of utilizing a nitro-hydrolysis process as a means of sludge disposal. The nitro-hydrolysis process is based on the nitric acid hydrolysis of sludge. A generalized reaction can be written as

Sludge + HNO3 [arrow] Biodegradable organic + …

Modification Of Protein Structure And Functionality Using High-Intensity Ultrasound, Demet Güzey

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of high intensity ultrasound on the adsorption kinetics of proteins. Protein solutions (3x10^-4 M ) were treated with ultrasound at power intensity levels ranging from 5 to 35 Wcm^-2 and at temperatures ranging from 20 to 85 ^oC with treatment times ranging from 15 to 45 minutes. Also, the effect of pulsing versus continuous application on the ultrasound treatment was evaluated. Surface activity (adsorption and coverage) of proteins was investigated using a drop shape analysis tensiometer. The study consisted of three major parts.

The results of the …

Print Media Portrayal Of The Culture Of Nasa Before And After The Challenger Explosion, Jodi M. Lockaby

Masters Theses

In recent years, culture has become a major topic within organizational studies. The culture of an organization affects how individuals in the organization interact, what is valued in the organization, and what goals the organization strives to achieve.

However, the view of culture that outsiders hold of an organization also has significance for the organization. Mostly, the mass media influence the outsider's view of an organization's culture. Yet, organizational cultural studies have failed to look at the external perception of an organization and how the external viewpoint is affected by major actions by or events in the organization. This study …

Developing Stature Estimation Regression Formulae For The Arikara Of The Larson And Leavenworth Sites, Kathryn A. King

Masters Theses

Stature is an important descriptive characteristic of an individual. Living stature cannot be measured directly in archaeological populations and thus must be estimated by bone. Current stature estimation formulae cannot be used with archaeological populations because the relationships between stature and the length of the various bones used in estimation differ among races and populations. Similarly, secular change in stature makes the use of formulae derived from modem populations on archaeological groups problematic.

Anatomical methods of estimating stature account for the skeletal elements that contribute to an individual's height and provide an estimate of the soft tissue component of stature. …

The Sundering Before Reconciliation : Joyce, Shakespeare, And Postcolonialism In Scylla And Charybdis, Mark S. Bernard

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to reexamine the relationship, artistic and political, between James Joyce and Shakespeare from a postcolonial perspective. More specifically, I wish to explore how the complexity of this relationship can be seen in action in "Scylla and Charybdis," chapter nine of Joyce's Ulysses. Through a close reading of the chapter and the usage of theoretical work currently being forged in the fields of Joyce and postcolonial studies, I show how Joyce is finally able to embrace Shakespeare as an artistic partner and literary forefather but only after destroying and recreating the monolithic image of "the …

Parental Understanding Of And Satisfaction With Iep Meetings, Melany Shea Bunch

Masters Theses

Federal law strongly encourages participation of parents of children with special needs in the development of their child's special education Individualized Educational Program. However, parents are not always involved and knowledgeable about the IEP. Twenty-seven parents of students with disabilities in a rural county high school were surveyed with a twenty-one item phone interview to assess their level of satisfaction with and understanding of the IEP process. Parents' level of satisfaction and understanding was relatively high, contrary to trends reported in the literature.

Working Hard For The Money : Tax Noncompliance In The Small Building And Construction Industry, Anne Austin Carroll

Masters Theses

The closing decades of the 20th century saw significant policy developments in the movement to improve business compliance with regulatory and tax requirements. Previously, controversy about whether a more or less interventionalist approach was needed dominated discussions of and proposals to enhance regulation. At the core of the debate were the theoretical assumptions about the motivations driving compliance. Advocates of the more interventional approach referred to as command-and-control regulation assume self-interest motivates compliance and a fear of sanctions deters noncompliance. Those arguing for a less interventional approach known as cooperative regulation assume civic duty, moral beliefs, fairness and legitimacy of …

Therapist Actions And Corresponding Narrative Change During Therapy : A Case Study, Mary Clare Champion

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate narrative change over the course of therapy, particularly the relationship between therapist behaviors and narrative change. To explore this relationship, one family's journey through therapy was recorded. Therapist statements were coded for the presence of the therapist being responsive to the clients, asking for elaboration from the clients, and challenging what the clients said in therapy. Client narratives were coded and given scores on coherence, the extent to which the narratives made sense to the reader and were free from distracting remarks, and richness, the extent of detail in the narrative. Findings …

Differential Effects Of Angiotensin Ii Type 2 Receptor Antagonism In Mice Models Of Obesity, Melissa Meredith Derfus

Masters Theses

Angiotensin II ( ang II) is a vasoactive hormone derived from the renin angiotensin system (RAS), which regulates blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. Ang II effects are mediated via two major receptors: type 1 (AT 1) and type 2 (AT 2). Adipocytes contain a local RAS in which ang II upregulates adipogenesis, fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis primarily mediated via the AT 2 receptor in cultured adipocytes. Preliminary studies from our lab tested the importance of AT 2 receptors in vivo and reported a decrease in adiposity by AT 2 antagonism in the lean, but not the …

The Effect Of Self-Directed Work Teams On Work Ethic, Johnny E. Fontan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare work ethic between machine operators in a self-directed work team manufacturing facility and machine operators in a traditional work systems manufacturing facility based on four subscales (dependable, cooperative, ambitious, considerate). Secondly, the study investigated differences between machine operators in a self-directed work team manufacturing facility and machine operators in a traditional work systems manufacturing facility based on six demographic factors (age, gender, level of education, years of full-time work experience, years of experiences as a supervisor, work shift preference). The Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI) (Petty, 1991) was the sole instrument used …

Assessment Of Physical Activity In College Students By Pedometer And Questionnaire, Tonia K. Gay

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the average number of steps accumulated per day in students attending a private, 4-year college. Specifically, the study sought to determine (a) percentage of those students who met the 10,000 steps per day recommendation, (b) whether a difference exists between men and women, and ( c) the effects of on- or off-campus residence. Additionally, measurements of physical activity from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey or System (BRFSS) and the pedometer were compared. A total of 79 men (n=40) and women (n=39) ages 18-32 years old participated in this study. Participan�s completed …

Integration Of Multiple Range And Thermal Image Pairs Using A Volumetric Method To Create Textured 3d Models, William Harvey Gray Jr.

Masters Theses

In this thesis we present a volumetric approach to 3D modeling that considers both object texture and geometry in the reconstruction process. This method assumes that there are multiple range and thermal image pairs of an object, all registered to a global coordinate system. The individual range images are used to create a surface mesh to which the thermal images are applied as a texture map. These textured range meshes are then used to update a volume grid. The volume grid can then be triangulated to yield a fully textured 3D model. The motivation for the research is the simulation …

Evolving The General Text Parser (Gtp) Utility Into A Usable Application Via Interface Design, Patrick A. Lynn

Masters Theses

The GTP (General Text Parser) software started out as a single C++ command line utility for the Solaris computing platform and has grown into a multiple language, multiple platform program supporting twenty-nine different options. The GTP software "provides general purpose parsing of document sets and matrix decomposition for information retrieval applications". Current releases of GTP include a second utility, GTPQUERY , which has its own set of options and is used in combination with GTP to allow query processing across the parsed document sets. The combination of multiple command line programs, various platform versions, and a complex array of options …

The Anglo-Saxons And Their Struggle With Chaos : "When A Man Is Unable To Change His Fate Then He Must Endure It Well", Scott Hutcheson Mackenzie

Masters Theses

Anglo-Saxons believed that human existence was brief and brutal. Belief in the inevitable decay of the world into chaos was strong in pagan tradition and fit well with the precepts of the Christian apocalypse. To their eyes all creation was wending its way toward destruction. During the eighth century, as Christianity blended with pagan beliefs, two genres of poetry, the epic and the elegy, convey two different responses of the Anglo-Saxons to chaos. Courage in the face of death was the hope of each Anglo-Saxon warrior and the dominant ideal in the epic. He wished only to serve his lord …

The Politics Of God : Theocratic Empire Building In The Age Of Globalization, Joshua S. Schendel

Masters Theses

The acts of politico-religious influence by fundamentalist religious organizations in the United States is an empire-in-training, utilizing processes of historical co-optment and the imposition and incorporation of mythico-historical pasts. These politico-religious amalgams utilize their cosmology in efforts to steer governmental action in the United States towards a stated goal: one nation, under God. Their success largely depends on their ability to: (a) overcome the internal and external power struggle facing such a mixture of reality and dogma, and (b) re-embed modem social notions with their own "'legitimate" vision of ''truth" and "'tradition." The Christian Coalition of America and the Christian …

Information Systems Management Concept For Military Aircraft In Combat Operations, Douglas Rhea Schueler

Masters Theses

In the 100 years since the first successful heavier than air powered flight, aircraft specifically designed for military applications have proliferated in two overlapping phases. The first phase could be considered the development and evolution of aircraft aerodynamic and power plant performance; basically the ability of an aircraft to fly higher, faster and be more maneuverable. As this first phase reached a plateau in the last 30 years, the second phase, development of on-board systems, (i.e. radar, FLIR, sensors, countermeasures, etc.), rose to the forefront of aircraft evolution. This second phase enabled aircraft with dated performance characteristics to gain the …

A Polyphase Power Supply And Peristaltic Flow Accelerator Using A One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (Oaugdpt̳M), Hojung Sin

Masters Theses

A surface layer of One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP™) was generated by parallel strip electrodes on a flat panel using a polyphase power supply system. Each electrode is energized by one of eight phases, and the phase of each electrode is increased or decreased with respect to its neighbors by a phase angle controlled by a Lab View DAQ device. The phase angle between adjacent electrodes was normally 45°, the operating frequency was in the range from 0.5 kHz to 6 kHz, and the maximum output voltage was 6-7 kVrms. The DAQ device was designed to generate up …

Measurement Of The Median Particle Size Diameter Of Airborne Particles Collected Within Duratek's Metal Melt Facility, Brett Sumner

Masters Theses

Concerns related to the occupational health of workers employed in the nuclear industry continue unabated. Often the concern for workers involves the potential absorbed dose to critical organs, and the associated potential health risk that results from inhaling airborne radioactive particulate material. The ability to determine the particle size in the workplace provides useful information to this end. Measurement techniques used to measure and quantify particle size diameters must be capable of providing data on the contaminant within the size range reaching the critical organs. Representative large area air samples were collected on four days over an eight-month period, atop …

Analysis Of Twinning Using Fourier And Wavelet Transforms, William Dean Turley

Masters Theses

In previous research on twinning, Finite Element Methods were used to examine the relationship between twinning microstructure, boundary conditions imposed on the twinning model, and a measure of the success of twinning; the Young measure. Minimizing sequences of deformations for the energy functional were used to approximate twinning microstructure. Since twinned material has a banded microstructure and the uniformity of the bands is related to successful twinning, we investigate a method of measuring twinning quality using Fourier and wavelet transforms. Fourier transforms detect global qualities, such as the frequency of twinning bands in this case, while wavelet transforms capture local …

Characterization Of Effect Of Conventional And Microwave Assisted Plasma (Map) Manufacturing Processes On Surfaces Of Pan Based Carbon Fibers, Matthew Joshua Williams

Masters Theses

The effects of processing parameters in conventional and Microwave Assisted Plasma (MAP) processes on the chemical and physical characteristics of PAN based carbon fibers were studied. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) were used to study the hypothesis that comparable fibers could be produced much faster and more cost effective by the MAP process as could be made by conventional processes. The chemical composition and functional groups on the surface of the fibers were determined using XPS to compare the chemistry of fibers from the two processes. The SEM was used to …

Explaining Export Assistance Needs Of A Firm From Firm Characteristics, Byron L. Williams

Masters Theses

At the end of the twentieth century, more and more export opportunities have been made available to firms in the United States. Experienced exporting firms, as well as firms that had never exported before, now have a new global marketplace in which they can sell their products. However, many of these firms may require government assistance in exporting their goods. The United States government has several agencies that provide a wide array of export assistance to U.S. firms. Yet the question of whether the firms who need government aid are actually receiving the assistance that they perceive as necessary remains …

The Perceptions Of Members And Agent Advisors Of Tennessee Association For Family And Community Education Participation, Rebecca Dawn Merritt

Masters Theses

Statement of Problem

Extension is changing and so is the role of FCS agents working with the TAFCE. At present, many new FCS agents advising with TAFCE are not given adequate guidance as to their role with TAFCE. To continue to provide quality educational materials and meet the needs of TAFCE it is important that The Agricultural Extension Service stay in touch with TAFCE members and aware of their needs.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study was to describe the Tennessee Family and Community Education club in terms of organizational purpose, influence, membership characteristics, educational programs, relationships with …

Hsp 70 And Hybrid Peptides In Cross-Presentation And Vaccinology, Charles Allen Gouffon Jr.

Masters Theses

This study was designed to explore heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) ability to generate effective CD8+ T cell responses against intracellular pathogens, particularly HSV. Hsp70 has been shown to cross-present or cross-prime exogenous foreign antigen into the MHC class I pathway of antigen presentation, which is dependent upon the proteasome as well as the transported associated with antigen processing. In addition to cross presentation, hsp70 has also been shown to have a variety of affects upon antigen presenting (APC) cells via a specific interaction between receptors found on the APC and hsp70. Interaction between this protein and APC causes induction …

Least-Square Deconvolution (Lsd) : A New Method To Resolve Str-Dna Mixtures, Ning Xue

Masters Theses

Mixed DNA samples are very common in crime scenes, especially in rape and murder cases. This kind of DNA evidence essentially includes the perpetrator's DNA sample superimposed on that of another, usually the victim. As a result, the genotype of each individual contributor cannot be obtained directly from the output of a genetic analyzer. The availability of allele peak area information from mixed STR/DNA samples makes it possible to use the least-square algorithm to find the most fitting genotype profile for each contributor. A new method, the Least-Square Deconvolution (LSD) method, is presented in this thesis to resolve DNA mixture …

Statistical Mechanical Models Of Adsorption And Diffusion Of Fluids In Crystalline Nanoporous Materials, Mithun Ramdas Kamat

Masters Theses

Statistical mechanical analytical theories are developed to model adsorption and diffusion of single component and binary fluids in crystalline nanoporous materials. The theory provides insight into the molecular level mechanisms governing the behavior of adsorbed molecules. The theory predicts diffusivities, adsorption isotherms, and heats of adsorption as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition.

Molecular dynamics simulations have identified localized adsorption sites within the adsorbent lattice. In this work, a lattice model of adsorption is developed using an extension of the Quasi-Chemical Approximation Theory. The theory demonstrates that competing entropic and energetic effects dictate the placement of molecules within the lattice …

The Effects Of Season Of Fire On Macroinvertebrates In A Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass Community, James E. Watkins

Masters Theses

The effects of season of fire on macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass were studied in a relatively undisturbed longleaf pine-wiregrass (Pinus palustris-Aristida beyrichiana) community at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The objective was to determine how season of fire affected invertebrate abundance and biomass and to relate these effects to wild turkey (Meleagris gallopaw) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) brood habitat management. Invertebrates were collected using a terrestrial vacuum sampler (D-Vac ®) during the wild turkey and northern bobwhite brood season (April-September) during 1996-97. Treatment plots were burned in May, July, and December of 1996. Total invertebrate …