Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring The Impact Of Knowledge Sharing On Quality Improvement Initiatives, Collins Landon Dukes

Masters Theses

The contributions of knowledge-based processes in quality initiatives, though unfamiliar, may have been realized by the improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge workers (Malhotra 2000). Effective knowledge management (KM) can provide an organization with a competitive edge through effective management of product and process quality. It is possible that quality initiatives can be directed using knowledge sharing practices by focusing on common themes throughout the organization. Hence, it stands to reason that knowledge sharing can be facilitated by understanding those factors that are critical to the success of quality improvement initiatives and, conversely, that the impact of quality …

Moderating Effect Of Intimate Exchange On The Reciprocal Relation Between Best Friend Delinquency And Child Externalizing Behavior, Alden Elizabeth Gaertner

Masters Theses

Research indicates both peer selection (choosing behaviorally similar individuals as friends) and peer socialization (mutual regulation of behavior) processes impact the development of problem behavior in childhood and adolescence. Differential association theory explains these processes by suggesting children and adolescents elect to participate in peer groups that conform to a commonly accepted set of group norms. Moreover, deviant peer groups ascribe to unconventional norms characterized by a higher proportion of pro-deviance messages learned in the context of intimate personal groups. Consistent with differential association theory, the current study examined the moderating effect of intimate exchange, or relational closeness, on the …

Genetic Load Of Crop Genes And Tandem Mitigating Genes In Transgenic Brassica Napus (Oilseed Rape) X Brassica Rapa (Field Mustard) Populations, Christy Weems Rose

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

From Authoritarian Dirty War To Neoliberal, 'Democratic' Class War Neoliberalism As Class Struggle In Argentina, Aaron Thomas Rowland

Masters Theses

This paper is a critical analysis of the theoretical assertions made, made by David Harvey and others, that neoliberalism is the ideological foundation for a one-sided, class-based struggle intended to restore or reconstruct the power of economic elites. Tracing neoliberalism back to its roots in the Austrian School of economics, I analyze the historical development of neoliberal theory and its critics. I show that it provides theoretical justification for elite class struggle. This theoretical argument is then grounded in a case study of Argentina's period of neoliberal reforms. In the case of Argentina, I show that this process was one …

Digital Integration For Monitoring Acceleration Signals, Charles Matthew Rose

Masters Theses

When testing turbine engines at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), vibration measurements are some of the most critical data taken. The present vibration monitoring system (VMS) consists of a charge producing accelerometer sensor, a charge amplifier, and a recording and analysis system. Currently the charge amplifier and the recording and analysis system are located in a data conditioning room which is approximately 150 feet from the accelerometer. If the signal processing equipment were moved closer to the test cell near the accelerometer, the fidelity of the acquired data could be greatly improved. An ideal system for this purpose would acquire …

An Analysis Of Spatiotemporal Variations Of Water Quality In The Little River Watershed And Their Connection With Land-Cover Patterns, Thomas Edward Burley

Masters Theses

The Little River supplies drinking water to Blount County, Tennessee, and supports several state and federally listed species. The upper, southeastern area of the Little River watershed is fed by protected sources originating in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the lower, northwestern part, however, the watershed has been affected by anthropogenic land-cover and land-cover change in recent years. These changes may have impacted water quality in the Little River watershed over the past 20 years. The objectives of this study were: (1) to elucidate the spatiotemporal patterns of water quality, (2) to understand the Little River watershed's land-cover …

Global Skin Friction Diagnostics In Complex Separated Flows, Sudesh A. Woodiga

Masters Theses

This work describes the application of a global luminescent oil film skin friction meter to quantitative global skin friction diagnostics in complex separated flows. The development of this technique is based on the relationship between the oil film thickness and luminescent intensity of an oil film mixed with a luminescent dye. The projected thin oil film equation is given to relate the normalized luminescent intensity with skin friction. The basis for this technique is the variational solution for the thin oil film equation on the image plane. The variational formulation with a smoothness constraint on skin friction is proposed to …

Perils On The High Seas: The Effects Of Submersion And Containment On Human Decomposition In Saltwater, Celene Aundrea Sotkowy

Masters Theses

Forensic analysis of decomposing human remains in a submerged and contained aquatic environment is an area of research that lacks systematic evaluation and hinders the ability to accurately determine time since death/submersion. Expanding our understanding of how submersion and containment affects the known taphonomic agents pursuant to aquatic environments will contribute to the knowledge base on human decomposition in a multitude of environments.

In response to this limited knowledge base, this thesis reviews ten marine and air incidents occurring along the coast of British Columbia, Canada in which the bodies of eighteen individuals were recovered from inside the submerged wreckage …

Simulating Truck Lane Management Approaches To Improve Efficiency And Safety Of Highways In Knoxville, Tennessee, Adebola Adebisi Adelakum

Masters Theses

Increased globalization has caused large increases in truck traffic on the nation’s interstate system, with much additional growth expected in the coming years. This growth has elevated interest in developing new strategies to address rising levels of truck traffic, especially in dense and congested urban areas. This thesis focuses on the evaluation of several alternative lane management configurations as they compare to the current lane configuration in search of the best fit for operational improvement. This task was performed in two ways – survey and simulation. A survey of 500 long-haul truck drivers was administered in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the …

The Kozolec: Material Culture, Identity, And Social Practice In Slovenia, Toby Martin Applegate

Masters Theses

This research investigates the intersections of national identity, representation, and material culture in the Republic of Slovenia. The subject of the thesis, the kozolec, is a freestanding farm implement, usually made of wood, used to dry hay as fodder for animals and, occasionally, corn for human and animal consumption. It is found on the landscape of Slovenia, a small alpine country that was formerly part of Yugoslavia. The kozolec has been romanticized as being indicative of “where” Slovenia is. It has also been cast aside as a symbol marking the Slovene landscape for both representational and practical reasons.

This thesis …

Numerical Analysis For Determination Of Fiber Orientation In Nonwoven Mats, Lee Reynolds Allen

Masters Theses

The University of Tennessee Space Institute is interested in pitch-based carbon fibers. A need has arisen for characterizing relative alignment of nonwoven fiber mats, produced by the spinning gathering technology implemented. Knowledge of this alignment is relevant in the validation of production methodology as well as aiding in the analysis of carbon fiber composite materials made with the fiber mats. A digital image processing method was developed presented and evaluated in this thesis consisting of three steps: preprocessing using image smoothing, edge detection based upon local intensity gradients, and line detection via the Hough Transform. A summary of typical results …

Heats Of Solvation Of Organic Liquids In Room Temperature Ionic Liquids, Paula Jeanette Beach

Masters Theses

Ionic liquids are of potential use in industry as reusable, non-polluting solvents. Their thermochemical properties need to be known to facilitate planning of processes and experiments using these solvents. Two ionic liquids: 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C4mim]PF6 or [bmim]PF6) and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([hmim]NTf2) were studied using a calorimeter. Various organic liquids were introduced into the solvents and their heats of solution were measured and tabulated. Potential effects of certain functional groups such as alcohol, amine, carboxylic acid, ketone, and aldehyde were examined as well as aromatics versus chains and saturated rings.

On The Trail Of Fine Ale: The Role Of Factor Conditions In The Location Of Craft Breweries In The United States, James Daniel Baginski

Masters Theses

Since their origin in the late 1970s, craft breweries have diffused throughout the United States, greatly changing American perceptions of beer in the process. The manner in which craft breweries have spread throughout the nation has not been ubiquitous; at all scales of analysis, a great deal of variation exists. Some areas are far more developed than others in terms of the number of craft breweries present. The data indicate that, while population does play a role in influencing the development of craft breweries, other sociological and demographic conditions also appear to be of great importance in explaining the spatial …

Characterization Of Vitronectin And Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type 1: Insights Into Metal Binding, And Production Of Reagents To Facilitate Structural Studies, Cynthia Lee Brown

Masters Theses

Vitronectin is a multifunctional glycoprotein involved in regulation of such processes as hemostasis, cell migration, immunity, and tumor metastasis. Many of its functions require interaction with various binding partners. One such partner, plasminogen activator inhibitor-type 1 (PAI-1), belongs to the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) superfamily of proteins. PAI-1 helps regulate hemostasis by affecting blood clot breakdown, and helps regulate cell migration and tissue remodeling by affecting extracellular matrix digestion. Our laboratory is pursuing structural information on vitronectin and the complex formed between vitronectin and PAI-1. To this end, the work presented in this thesis focuses on two aims: characterizing the …

Resonant Ultrasound Studies Of Quasi-2d NaXCoo2, Timothy Allen Cagle

Masters Theses

Sodium cobaltate possesses all the important traits needed in a material for potential thermoelectric applications yet it shows little regard for the traditional physics of thermoelectrics. As existing theories regarding the phenomenon in Na_xCoO₂ are incomplete, we have set out to elucidate some of the issues by looking into the elastic response of the system. To this effect, we have employed Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy to obtain the elastic tensor at various temperatures. As the Na_0.75CoO₂ stoichiometry seemed to potentially offer the most rewards due to a pronounced ground state and anomalous thermopower at higher …

Response-Contingent Positive Reinforcement: Incremental Validity In Predicting Depression Severity, John Paul Carvalho

Masters Theses

Insufficient response-contingent positive reinforcement (RCPR), or pleasure obtained through interaction with the environment that increases the likelihood of rewarding behavior, has been hypothesized to directly contribute to the onset and persistence of depression symptoms (Lewinsohn, 1974; Lewinsohn, Sullivan, & Grosscup, 1980). The present study examined the utility of RCPR in predicting the presence and severity of depression symptoms relative to other well-established risk factors that included gender, stressful life events, traumatic life events, childhood maltreatment, and cognitive vulnerability. Based on bivariate and hierarchical regression analyses, all variables except gender were significantly associated with the severity of depression symptoms, with RCPR …

A Comparison Of Us And Korean Consumers: A Cross-Cultural Study Of Brand-Related Ugc Found In Discussion Boards Of Product Review Sites, Hyuk Jun Cheong

Masters Theses

This study is a partial replication of Fong and Burton’s 2008 study. Fong and Burton (2008) conducted a cross-cultural study comparing Chinese and US Internet users in terms of willingness to engage in information-seeking and information-giving, utilizing Hofstede’s (1980; 1991) individualistic/collectivistic cultural dimension.

The current study examines cross-cultural differences in the use of UGC between US and Korean consumers by conducting a content analysis of the discussion boards of six digital camera review sites based in the US and Korea. It content-analyzes 1871 online postings on discussion boards of US-based and Korea-based product review sites.

The study adopts Hofstede’s (1980; …

New Consolidation Of Emission And Processing For Air Quality Modeling Assessment In Asia, Yuan Du

Masters Theses

Gridded Asian emission input with fine resolutions for regional photochemical air quality modeling is absent from current studies. A new top-down emission process based on GIS-FORTRAN program has been developed in this study to consolidate the current available regional emissions in Asia and provide model-ready emission input with more flexibility. The INTEX-B anthropogenic emission inventory in 2006 integrated with biogenic from GEIA, as well as biomass burning and ship emissions from TRACE-P has been adopted as the top-level emissions, which are then spatially allocated into grid-cell level by our GIS application. The spatial allocation factors generated for this process are …

Tissue Culture And Recombinant Dna Technology: Developing Protocols For Potentially Higher Yielding Switchgrass Cultivars, Stephen Michael Foulk

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis project was to, firstly, establish and optimize protocols for high-throughput callus induction and plant regeneration for the new, higher yielding switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars NSL and SL93. Secondly, to subclone the complementary DNA (cDNA) of the anthocyanin transcription factor, C1, from pBECKS.red into pUC18 and pBSL15 for downstream use.

For the first part of this project the cultivars, NF/GA992, NF/GA993, NSL, and SL93, were tested for callus induction by plating whole dehusked caryopses on callus induction media (CIM) containing 8.5uM of the auxin dicamba. NF/GA992 responded best to the treatment with 44% of …

The Use Of Lanthanide Triflates As A Method For Reducing Ytterbium(Iii) To Ytterbium(Ii), Latasha Michelle Garrett

Masters Theses

High purity lutetium (99.999%) is employed in the manufacture of cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate. Such lutetium is in high demand because the cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate is the best gamma-detecting scintillator known. Solvent extraction is the most widely used method for separating the rare earths on an industrial scale at 99.999% purity. However, this process is time consuming and requires 80-100 separation stages. The major difficulty in pure lutetium production is the separation from the adjacent element, ytterbium. If ytterbium(III) could be reduced to ytterbium(II), this would permit a different chemistry between ytterbium(II) and the trivalent state elements, allowing a more facile …

Behavioral Activation For Mildly Depressed Students: Randomized Controlled Trial, Michael John Gawrysiak

Masters Theses

Although depression is prevalent among university students, limited and dated research has examined the efficacy of behavioral interventions in treating this population. Based on a modified version of the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD; Hopko & Lejuez, 2007; Lejuez, Hopko, & Hopko, 2001) that involved a structured single-session intervention and 2- week treatment period, we conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing individualized BATD and a no-treatment control for university students with mild to moderate depression symptoms (N = 30). Outcome measures assessed depression severity, environmental reward, social support, and somatic anxiety. Repeated measures analyses of variance and reliable change …

Fire History Of Gum Swamp And Black Pond In Eastern Tennessee, U.S.A., From Macroscopic Sedimentary Charcoal, Alisa Lynn Hass

Masters Theses

Eastern Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are biological hotspots in which settlement by Native Americans and Euro-Americans dramatically changed the landscape through land clearance and changes in fire occurrence. I present two local fire histories using macroscopic sedimentary charcoal, one from a highly managed area and one from private agricultural land. Gum Swamp (35°35' N 83°50' W) is a pond located in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park that experiences seasonal drying. The 0.94 m sediment profile extends to about 425 cal yr BP, based on an AMS radiocarbon date on charcoal fragments at mid-depth in the …

Buyer And Grower Perceptions Of Liner Quality And Associated Production Costs Of Nursery Liner Stock, Andrew H. Jeffers

Masters Theses

Liner production is a key segment in the nursery industry. Due to a lack of specific of quality standards by governing industry organizations as well as a lack of general consensus among growers of perceived liner quality, a conjoint analysis study was developed to determine buyer and grower preferences for nursery liner product features during point-of-purchase decisions. The study used a visual survey using six variables (first order lateral roots (FOLR), price, region of production, and height, canopy density and caliper uniformity) with varying levels yielding a 3 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. …

Environmental Analysis And White Cell Applications Ftir Spectroscopy, Maria Gabriela Oliveros

Masters Theses

The research is concerned with atmospheric chemistry & physics, and analyzing the environment with respect to the quantity of molecules is in the air we breathe. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy is used to identify the IR active molecules in our atmosphere. FTIR Spectrometer determines the intensity loss for molecules that have absorbed IR light. The FTIR spectroscopy is performed using the light from the sun or a carbon rod light source in the lab. A Sun-tracking device was employed to direct the sunlight into the spectrometer. Open-path measurements were made using multiple mirror reflections of the carbon rod light source …

The Application Of A Two-Dimensional Sediment Transport Model In A Cumberland Plateau Mountainous Stream Reach With Complex Morphology And Coarse Substrate, Daniel Hale Johnson

Masters Theses

Among river engineers there is growing recognition that the success of a stream restoration project is dependent on the accurate prediction of sediment transport along a reach. To aid the design process, several numerical one- and multi-dimensional models have been developed to quantify in-stream sediment transport and hydraulic characteristics, and multiple sampling techniques have been proposed to establish the upstream sediment supply. However, the governing physical boundaries and variables (i.e., Manning’s ‘n’ variable, energy slope, and upstream sediment supply) required to initiate a sediment transport simulation are time consuming and difficult to measure in the field, and the estimation of …

Analytical Corrections To A Numerical Procedure For Estimating Gas Stagnation Temperature Fromthermocouple Measurements, Robert Carl Jones

Masters Theses

An analysis study was conducted to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative predictions of a numerical (computer – coded) procedure for predicting the total or stagnation temperature of a compressible gas flow. The procedure is based on measured tip temperature provided by a radiation – shielded, self – aspirated thermocouple (TC) probe. The numerical procedure breaks down the components of the thermocouple probe into individual but thermally interacting thermal bodies. The numerical procedure assumes that the measured TC tip temperature is a true value, and carries out a heat balance for each component of the thermocouple that includes convective, conductive and …

The Adsorption Of 2-Ketogluconate By Goethite, Jessica Suzanne Journey

Masters Theses

The low-molecular-mass-organic acid, 2-ketogluconate (kG), has been found to exist in significant concentrations in the rhizosphere of agricultural soils. Adsorption of kG by constant potential mineral surfaces may influence soil chemical processes. This study examines influence of temperature, pH, and ionic environment on the adsorption of kG by goethite. When kG was present on the surface of goethite, the pH_pzc decreased by approximately 0.4 pH units, from pH 7.6 to pH 7.2, suggesting that kG is chemisorbed to the goethite surface via ligand exchange mechanisms. The adsorption of kG by goethite is a function of pH and ionic strength. …

Characterization Of The Metallohistin Cdna Agnt84 And Pteris Vittata Tissue Culture For Phytoremediation, Blake Lee Joyce

Masters Theses

Contamination of soils with toxic metals such as arsenic and cadmium has become a major environmental and human health risk. Phytoremediation provides a method to remove contaminants from soils that is not only economically viable but also environmentally sound. Metallohistins are proteins that have the capability to bind divalent metal ions such as Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺. In this study, a concatemer sequence was designed to try to increase the presence of metal-binding proteins in transgenic plants. Two methods to increase translational efficiency of the metallohistin protein were used: …

For We See And Know In Part: An Examination Of The Portrayal Of African-American Female Athletes On The Covers Of Sports Illustrated, Chanel Leisa Lattimer

Masters Theses

This study examines the print media’s representation of African-American sportswomen’s femininity on the covers of Sport Illustrated. Sport is considered a male-dominated institution; a place where masculinity is expressed. Therefore, in spite of the increased participation for women in sport due to Title IX; the media’s coverage has been minimal and their representation of female athletes has been ambivalent at best, and trivializing at worse. The conveyance of African-American female athletes remains even more complex. Due to historical experiences, African-American women have developed a femininity that falls outside that of mainstream society. Therefore, the lack of coverage African-American female …

Validation Of The Cosmed Fitmate For Predicting Maximal Oxygen Consumption, Jung Min Lee

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the Cosmed Fitmate (FM) in predicting maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max), compared to the Douglas bag (DB) method. In addition, this study examined whether measuring submaximal VO₂, rather than predicting it, can improve upon the prediction of VO_2max. Thirty-two males and sixteen females (Mean ± SD: age 31 ± 10 yr, body mass 72.9 ± 13.0 kg, height 1.75 ± 0.09 m, BMI 23.4 ± 3 kg·m^-2) volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant completed a submaximal and a maximal …