Digital Commons Network^™

Probabilistic Design Optimization Of Built-Up Aircraft Structures With Application, Qiulin Xie

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses a methodology for probabilistic design optimization of aircraft structures subject to a multidisciplinary set of requirements originating from the desire to minimize structural weight while fulfilling the demands for quality, safety, producibility, and affordability. With this design methodology as the framework, a software is developed, which is capable of performing design optimization of metallic built-up beam structures where the material properties, external load, as well as the structural dimensions are treated as probabilistic random variables. The structural and failure analyses are based on analytical and semi-empirical methods whereas the component reliability analysis is based on advanced first-order …

Remote Control Of Heating, Ventilating, And Air Conditioning System With Labview, Yu-Loong Liew

Theses and Dissertations

Recent technological advances have extended the use of some old technology such as the X-10 home automation. With the use of X-10 and the Internet, a remote control home is possible. One of the major energy consumption appliances in a house is the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system. The main objective of this study is to explore the possibility of using X-10 and the Internet to serve as an energy saving system. A simulation is used to estimate the energy consumption.

An Investigation Of The Standardized Multiple-Choice Departmental Calculus I Final Examination, Maria Elizabeth Bearden

Theses and Dissertations

At Mississippi State University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, a standardized multiple-choice departmental final examination (SMCDF) was administered at the end of the Calculus I mathematics course. This practice was abolished at the end of the spring 1997 semester. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in students¡¯ success in subsequent calculus courses as measured by a student¡¯s grade. If there was a difference, was it consistent along varying levels of students¡¯ ACT mathematics scores. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run on the data. The variables were the five student ACT Mathematics …

Automated Accident Detection In Intersections Via Digital Audio Signal Processing, Navaneethakrishnan Balraj

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to design a system for automated accident detection in intersections. The input to the system is a three-second audio signal. The system can be operated in two modes: two-class and multi-class. The output of the two-class system is a label of ?crash? or ?non-crash?. In the multi-class system, the output is the label of ?crash? or various non-crash incidents including ?pile drive?, ?brake?, and ?normal-traffic? sounds. The system designed has three main steps in processing the input audio signal. They are: feature extraction, feature optimization and classification. Five different methods of feature extraction are …

Generalizing List Scheduling For Stochastic Soft Real-Time Parallel Applications, Yoginder Singh Dandass

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced architecture processors provide features such as caches and branch prediction that result in improved, but variable, execution time of software. Hard real-time systems require tasks to complete within timing constraints. Consequently, hard real-time systems are typically designed conservatively through the use of tasks? worst-case execution times (WCET) in order to compute deterministic schedules that guarantee task?s execution within giving time constraints. This use of pessimistic execution time assumptions provides real-time guarantees at the cost of decreased performance and resource utilization. In soft real-time systems, however, meeting deadlines is not an absolute requirement (i.e., missing a few deadlines does not …

Integrating Algorithmic And Systemic Load Balancing Strategies In Parallel Scientific Applications, Sheikh Khaled Ghafoor

Theses and Dissertations

Load imbalance is a major source of performance degradation in parallel scientific applications. Load balancing increases the efficient use of existing resources and improves performance of parallel applications running in distributed environments. At a coarse level of granularity, advances in runtime systems for parallel programs have been proposed in order to control available resources as efficiently as possible by utilizing idle resources and using task migration. At a finer granularity level, advances in algorithmic strategies for dynamically balancing computational loads by data redistribution have been proposed in order to respond to variations in processor performance during the execution of a …

Limitations Of Principal Component Analysis For Dimensionality-Reduction For Classification Of Hyperspectral Data, Anil Meerasa Cheriyadat

Theses and Dissertations

It is a popular practice in the remote-sensing community to apply principal component analysis (PCA) on a higher-dimensional feature space to achieve dimensionality-reduction. Several factors that have led to the popularity of PCA include its simplicity, ease of use, availability as part of popular remote-sensing packages, and optimal nature in terms of mean square error. These advantages have prompted the remote-sensing research community to overlook many limitations of PCA when used as a dimensionality-reduction tool for classification and target-detection applications. This thesis addresses the limitations of PCA when used as a dimensionality-reduction technique for extracting discriminating features from hyperspectral data. …

Analysis Of Weight-Related Advertisements And Nutrition Articles In Popular Women's Magazines, Jennifer Cardall Jacobson

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to discover whether the weight-related messages and themes from food advertisements in women's magazines reinforce or contradict the messages communicated in nutrition-related articles focusing on weight control within the same magazines.

Design: Content analysis of 48 issues of weight-related content six popular women's magazines, 2001-2002. There were three magazines in each of two categories, "homemaking" and "health." All food and nutrition advertisements were analyzed (n=954), along with all nutrition articles (n=336). Advertisements and articles were identified as being either weight-related or non-weight-related. Type of food/product advertised, claims used to market the product, and …

Rotational Molding Of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Polymers And Blends, Mark Grant Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

The development of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins for use in rotational molding would provide a medium performance material, thus opening doors to new markets for the rotational molding industry. Unfortunately, ABS resins have shown serious problems during the rotational molding process, namely discoloration, bridging, and poor impact strength. It is believed that these effects are due to degradation of the carbon-carbon double bond in the butadiene, through attack by either oxygen or heat. Previous efforts have shown some success in addressing these issues. However, additional improvements are necessary to make ABS resins commercially viable to rotational molders. This study, fourth in …

Delineation Of Mass Movement Prone Areas By Landsat 7 And Digitial Image Processing, Shiloh Marie Howland

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of whether Landsat 7 data could be used to delineate areas prone to mass movement, particularly debris flows and landslides, was examined using three techniques: change detection in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), change detection in band 5, and the tasseled cap transformation. These techniques were applied to areas that had recently experienced mass movement: Layton, Davis County and Alpine, Spanish Fork Canyon and Santaquin, Utah County. No distinctive spectral characteristics were found with any of these techniques with two possible explanations: 1. That despite improved spatial resolution in Landat 7 over its predecessors and improved digital image …

Satellite Scatterometers: Calibration Using A Ground Station And Statistical Measurement Theory, Peter Kenneth Yoho

Theses and Dissertations

Satellite scatterometers have recently gained popularity due to their unique ability to measure global geophysical data on a daily basis. Increased interest in scatterometry mandates improved design and calibration of these instruments. This dissertation presents new techniques for scatterometer calibration and addresses issues related to the design of future instruments and applications. First, the use of a calibration ground station is considered. A new methodology is established for calibration of SeaWinds, NASA's current scatterometer, using a receive-only ground station. Principles of the methodology are implemented, new analysis techniques developed, and important results obtained for instrument timing, frequency, power, position, and …

Design And Development Of The Self-Efficacy For Musical Studies Scale, Kathryn Rae Pearson

Theses and Dissertations

Scale development in psychological studies is an area of intense growth (Clark & Watson, 1995). This report builds upon academic interest in the value of producing viable measurement tools. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate a self-efficacy measurement scale intended to determine individual music students' perceptions of capability. The areas of interest were four self-regulatory skill domains: strategy use, planning, monitoring, and evaluating in two music environments: independent practicing and performance.

This report describes the development and analysis of the Self-efficacy for Musical Studies (SEMS) scale. The report includes statistical analysis of the response data from formative …

The Considerations Of The Superintendent In The Development Of The School Budget During Times Of Fiscal Constraint: A Case Study, Jeffrey Witt

Theses and Dissertations

John Smith is the superintendent of Green Hill Public Schools. This case study follows John through the whole budget process from July 2011 to July 2012. An interpretative perspective was used to tell his story. Ten interviews were given from October 2011 to July 2012. Newspaper articles and the minutes from meetings were analyzed and used as discussion items in the interview questions. This study was an analysis of how he made his budget decisions in a time of fiscal constraint and the role values played in the budget decision making. The budget year started out normal with John doing …

The Relationship Between Personality And The Experience Of Solution-Focused Therapy And Cognitive Therapy, Shannon T. Woulfe

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the past 20 years, a growing emphasis on client competence building within the psychotherapy literature has led to the creation of specific therapeutic interventions, such as narrative therapy and solution-focused therapy. These interventions offer a distinct alternative to traditional deficit-based interventions, where clients are viewed as having a dysfunction that is causing specific symptoms. This study indirectly compared the experiences of a client undergoing a competence model of helping, solution-focused therapy, with the experiences of the same client undergoing a deficit model of helping, cognitive therapy. Information about how personality dimensions are related to the experience of both solution-focused …

The Sexual Behavior Sequelae Of Childhood Sexual Abuse In College Women, Brian A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation examined the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and a variety of sexual behaviors in adulthood while controlling for the confounding effects of family environment and adolescent/adult sexual assault. Three hundred ninety female undergraduates completed measures of CSA, adolescent/adult sexual assault, family environment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, quality of the parent-child bond), sexual satisfaction and functioning, propensity to engage in casual sex, attraction to sexual aggression, sexual fantasy, and sexual preference. The results indicated that CSA, after controlling for confounding variables, was associated with increased sexual activity, a propensity for casual sex, and sexual fantasies staining …

Analysis Of Articles Published In Eight Selected Higher Education Journals On Selected Variables To Reveal Scholarly Development Of The Discipline, Kathy Brock Enger

Theses and Dissertations

The development of a discipline is reflected in its literature. Higher education is a fairly young discipline, as shown by the large amount of its literature beginning in the 1970s or later. Studying the literature of a discipline reveals various aspects of its development, and gives those engaged in its development an assessment of what is being done and who is doing it at a particular point in time. Using bibliometrics, or the literature as data, this dissertation examined articles in eight selected higher education scholarly journals in 1995 and 2000 to determine characteristics of the authors producing higher education …

Effect Of Heavy Metals On Bacteria, Elena Vratonjic

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals have become devastating environmental contaminants due to their widespread use in the manufacture of electronics, plastics, batteries and dyes. The discharge of heavy metals into the environment has caused concern about their effects on the ecosystem. Many metals are essential for growth in small amounts. However, at higher concentrations heavy metals are toxic because they bind to organic compounds. This accounts for their effects on some important parts of the cell structure, like their ability to denature protein molecules. The initial objective of this study was to find out the growth rate of E.coli and M.roseus in the …

Past, Present And Future Of Language Policy In Kazakhstan, Aliya S. Kuzhabekova

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the historical preliminaries, current state and directions of further development of the language policy in the former Soviet and presently independent Republic of Kazakhstan. Such an analysis is of special interest for sociolinguistic theory. The uniqueness of the linguistic situation challenging contemporary Kazakhstani language policy-making consists in the fact that Kazakh, the native tongue of the ethnic majority and the de jure state language of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan, is too lexically underdeveloped to successfully compete in most of the communicative domains with Russian, the state language of Soviet Kazakhstan and the alternate …

A Systemic Investigation: Developing A Guide To North Dakota Legal Research For The Educator And Citizen, Rhonda R. Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Educators and citizens in North Dakota often need to research North Dakota law. They need to research primary authority materials (e.g., the North Dakota Constitution, the North Dakota Supreme Court opinions, the North Dakota Century Code, the North Dakota Administrative Code). Educators and citizens also need to utilize secondary authority materials that help them locate, update, explain or interpret the law (e.g., digests, citators, law reviews or treatises). There is no guide for North Dakota legal research materials that serves to help the educator or citizen in these research efforts.

The following methodology was used to produce a guide for …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Depressotypic Cognitions And Suitability For Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Lydia Christine Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Although some researchers have suggested that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be an effective treatment paradigm for minority clients, there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. In addition, few studies have explored the cross-cultural expression of the maladaptive cognitions that CBT targets for change in the treatment of major depressive disorder. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to compare the applicability of CBT approaches and assumptions in Caucasians and American Indians, and (b) to evaluate whether depressotypic cognitions found in the literature related to CBT are equally prevalent in both groups. In study one, an …

Coping With Stressful Situations: The Use Of Humor As A Preventative Coping Mechanism For Preceived Stress In Public Speaking, Randall J. Smies

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to determine the effects of using a humorous intervention as a preventative coping mechanism to lower the perceived stress that can be associated with public speaking. Further, it examined the effects that the humorous intervention would have on both the perceived self-efficacy for the current public speaking and for future public speaking situations. It was hypothesized that a humorous intervention administered before an actual stressful situation in an individual's life would lower stress and also increase their perceived self-efficacy regarding the stressor in the present and in the future.

Participants included 64 college students recruited from an …

The Perpetuation Of The Fairy Tale Narrative In Popular Film: A Textual Analysis, Audra D. Van Hoff

Theses and Dissertations

Communication media have an enormous impact on our perceptions of the world; therefore, I believe it is crucial to examine these media as a cultural text in order to gain an understanding of how producers of the text create meaning through critical elements found in the text. More closely, it is important to understand how these texts can represent things, such as gender and culture. Specifically, this thesis explores the dominate themes of a fairy tale narrative in contemporary film. It deconstructs the character and plot structure of five films from different genres. It then goes on to look at …

Delinquent Recidivism And Diversion From Formal Juvenile Court Proceedings: A Cognitize Restructuring Approach, Robert James Amos Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis takes a deductive approach by formulating and testing hypotheses, derived via theoretical proposition. A history of juvenile delinquency, delinquency intervention and development of the juvenile court is also presented and discussed. Social control theory is the main perspective in this study. Social learning theory is also a relevant perspective in this thesis.

Literature in this thesis indicates delinquent intervention has failed to reduce recidivism throughout history. A more effective form of intervention needs to implemented and examined pertaining to the influence of juvenile delinquency recidivism reduction Cognitive restructuring is a popular form of intervention today, which is assumed …

Writing About The Most Meaningful Life Experience: Implications For Subjective Well-Being, Napoleon Andriopulos

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigation examined the influence of writing about the most meaningful life experience (MMLE) on the participants’ subjective weli-being (SWB) using a variation of Pennebaker’s expressive writing paradigm. Participants were 5:T undergraduate students enrolled at the University of North Dakota who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (a) MMLE gu up: write about the MMLE, or (b) control topic: write about your plans for the day. Participants completed a consent form, demographic questionnaire, Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PmNAS). Participants then wrote about an assigned topic for …

Multiple Sclerosis, Time Of Day, And Subjectively Measured Sleep Effects On Neurological Functioning Using A Neuropsychological Battery, Julia R. Fitzgerald Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of time of day of testing and subjectively measured daytime sleepiness and nighttime sleep on memory performance in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in unimpaired adults. Thirty-four multiple sclerosis subjects (a.m.; N=17 and p.m.; N=17) and forty controls (a.m.; N=16 and p.m.; N=24) were assessed using the Logical Memory, Visual Reproductions, and Digit Span subtests of the Weschler Memory Scale-Ill, California Verbal Learning Test, and several questionnaires about mood, sleep, and physical symptoms. The primary result of this study was the absence of significant differences between the multiple sclerosis participants and controls on many …

Hardiness As A Career Transition Resource, Katherine Lee Rathburn

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship of hardiness to career transition resources was examined. Hardiness scores were obtained through the use of the Cognitive Hardiness Scale (CHS)(Nowack, 1996) and transition resources were measured by the Career Transitions Inventory (CTI) (Heppner, Multon, & Johnston, 1994). The study included 120 male and female adult participants from multiple settings (primarily from a local university, technical college, and job agency) who had a career transition in the last 15 months. Most participants had experienced multiple career-related changes. The general hypothesis for this study was that certain constructs measured by the CTI correlate with hardiness (the Personal Control factor …

Tmi Transport Corporation 2003 Budget Projections, Rachelle Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

When Personality Traits Need A Frame Of Reference: Enhancing The Predictive Validity Of Non-Cognitive Measures, Andrew David English

Theses and Dissertations

The reconsideration of personality among personnel specialists is partly due to the discovery of the five-factor model of personality or the "Big Five" (Costa, 1996). In the years following the acceptance of this taxonomy, several researchers have examined the relationship of the "Big Five" personality traits to numerous job performance criteria. Research has show:n that personality testing can contribute significant incremental validity over that of cognitive ability and skills (Neuman & Wright, 1999). The issues of trait consistency and the faking of personality measures have divided researchers in regards to how detrimental the effects of each are. The results of …

An Algorithm For Clearing Combinatorial Markets, Josiane Domgang Nzouonta

Theses and Dissertations

It was recently shown possible to solve single item auctions without revealing any secret except for the solution. Namely, with vMB-share [4], the seller and the buyer only learn each other's identity and the selling price for a chosen M+1 pricing scheme. No trusted party was necessary. In this thesis, we show how vMB-share can be extended for the clearing of combinatorial negotiations with several items, buyers and sellers. We first show how the more general problem can be reduced to a virtual form, relatively similar to the single-item auctions. Then, some modifications in the cryptographic techniques of vMB-share are …

Evaluation Of Event Data Recorders In Real World Crashes And Full-Scale Crash Tests, Lewis Thomas Clayton Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

With the advent of advanced safety systems in U.S. passenger vehicles, there has been increased interest shown by automakers in recording crash related parameters that ultimately lead to the deployment of these safety systems in what are known as Event Data Recorders (EDRs). Since the only other record of these parameters, specifically crash pulse, comes from staged crash tests in a controlled environment, the advent of the EDR has become increasingly important to crash researchers. The purpose of this study is to quantify the performance of EDRs in full-scale crash tests and real world crashes.

Comparison of EDRs with staged …