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Design And Implementation Of Fast Motion Estimation In Modern Video Compression On Gpu, Zhaohua Yi Jan 2015

Design And Implementation Of Fast Motion Estimation In Modern Video Compression On Gpu, Zhaohua Yi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motion estimation is the most compute expensive part of high definition video compression. It accounts for more than 50\% of overall execution. Therefore, improving the performance of motion estimation can make significant impact on the overall performance of video compression. The performance of motion estimation can be improved in two aspects: algorithm and implementation. This thesis touches both aspects. We first propose an innovative motion estimation algorithm by replacing the traditional block matching method which comparing blocks pixel by pixel with a brand new method which based on lbp (local binary pattern) code. Our new method first encodes the original …

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An Investigation Of The Effect Of Single-Gendered Instruction On Achievement In Math And English In An Urban High School, Beverly Bacchus Jan 2015

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Single-Gendered Instruction On Achievement In Math And English In An Urban High School, Beverly Bacchus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act, many initiatives have been implemented to increase academic achievement. Single-gender education is an initiative that public schools have adopted with the hope of seeing boys and girls achieve significant gains in their core classes. This study explored the achievement levels of 9th grade girls and boys in their English I and Algebra I classes. After a year of learning in single-gender classes, the students' end of course scores were compared to the previous cohort of students who were taught in a traditional co-educational format by using an independent t-test. Scores …

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Employee Benefit Plans Industry Developments - 2015; Audit Risk Alerts, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa) Jan 2015

Employee Benefit Plans Industry Developments - 2015; Audit Risk Alerts, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

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A Raman Spectroscopic And Computational Study Of The Effects Of Halogen Bonding On Pyrimidine Containing Systems, Peyton Lindsey Reves Jan 2015

A Raman Spectroscopic And Computational Study Of The Effects Of Halogen Bonding On Pyrimidine Containing Systems, Peyton Lindsey Reves

Honors Theses

This thesis involves the study of the effects of halogen bonding on pyrimidine containing systems. Halogen bonding is a type of non-covalent interaction that can occur when a Lewis base interacts with an iodine, bromine, or chlorine atom in a second molecule. The phenomenon of halogen bonding is explained by the presence of a localized region of positive electrostatic potential that exists on the halogen. This positive region is referred to as the σ-hole, and gives halogen bonding its other common name, σ-hole bonding. The magnitude of the positive σ-hole depends on both the type of halogen molecule involved in …

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The Wlbs: Women Of Whimsy, Rachel Ellen Banka Jan 2015

The Wlbs: Women Of Whimsy, Rachel Ellen Banka

Honors Theses

This thesis is an entirely fictional novel about the five members of a women's book club in a small Mississippi town. It is told from three alternating perspectives and spans the course of one month, November, 2013. It is a story of lies, literature, love, and loss; of identity, community, friendship, and betrayal; and of hidden treasure, whatever form that takes.

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A Computational Comparison Of The Hydrophobic Pocket Of Neural And Epithelial Cadherins For The Purpose Of Identifying A Selective Inhibitor, Ross E. Straughan Jan 2015

A Computational Comparison Of The Hydrophobic Pocket Of Neural And Epithelial Cadherins For The Purpose Of Identifying A Selective Inhibitor, Ross E. Straughan

Honors Theses

Classical cadherins are a subfamily of calcium-dependent cellular adhesion molecules that play an important role in the formation of cellular junctions in many tissues. The extracellular portion of cadherins consists of five tandem-repeated domains (EC1-EC5). The critical first step in cadherin-mediated cellular adhesion occurs at the interface between two adjacent EC1 domains in which the transition from monomer to dimer is accomplished by docking the W2 residue of the N-terminal β-strand of one EC1 domain into the hydrophobic pocket of its partner domain. Cancer and many other diseases have been linked to the aberrant expression of Epithelial (E-cad) and Neural …

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Properties Of A Fluorescent Deoxycytidine Analog In I-Motif Dna, Sara E. Wingate Jan 2015

Properties Of A Fluorescent Deoxycytidine Analog In I-Motif Dna, Sara E. Wingate

Honors Theses

Experiments to determine fluorescence lifetimes and fluorescence quenching constants were performed using oligonucleotides of DNA containing PdC, a fluorescent analog of cytidine, at five different locations in the i-motif. My experiments were chosen in order to better understand the structural characteristics of i-motif DNA, which are thought to have biological importance in cancer and drug delivery. Fluorescent lifetime experiments were carried out using an ISS K2 fluorescence instrument with a modulated LED light source in order to determine if the cytidine bases in DNA replaced by PdC were paired or unpaired in the i-motif structure. The resulting data allowed us …

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Dna I-Motif Stabilization By Ligand Binding To Loop Regions, Harrison Reed Davis Jan 2015

Dna I-Motif Stabilization By Ligand Binding To Loop Regions, Harrison Reed Davis

Honors Theses

DNA i-motifs are a secondary structure of DNA that can be useful in a variety of ways, but this experiment investigates the maximum potential to stabilize i-motifs artificially with a small molecule binding to loop regions. DNA with different position and number of loops was tested to see to what extent the i-motif could be stabilized . A drug, Actinomycin D, was used for its known high affinity for a particular DNA sequence, which we used to make the loops of the i-motif. The binding constant for the drug to the DNA was determined through fluorescense spectroscopy while the presence …

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Non-Covalent Ineteractions Of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (Tmao) And Urea In Water, John Prather Jan 2015

Non-Covalent Ineteractions Of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (Tmao) And Urea In Water, John Prather

Honors Theses

TMAO and urea are important osmolytes. Osmolytes help maintain cell volume with their presence inside and outside cells. Urea is used by kidney cells to neutralize strong osmotic gradients caused by excretion of hypertonic waste. Although urea is for volume- maintaining purposes, it is also known to be a strong denaturant of cellular proteins. The method by which urea destabilizes folded proteins is a debated topic. There is evidence that urea binds directly to amino acid side chains to make protein folding less thermodynamically favored. It has also been suggested that urea acts indirectly to denature proteins by destabilizing the …

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Visualization Techniques Of Shear Wave Propagation In Wormlike Micellar Fluid, Connor M. Tierney Jan 2015

Visualization Techniques Of Shear Wave Propagation In Wormlike Micellar Fluid, Connor M. Tierney

Honors Theses

In an aqueous solution amphiphilic molecules can self-aggregate and form a wormlike micellar fluid. These non-Newtonian fluids have been studied in the context of diagnostic medical imaging due to the fact that the fluids have viscoelastic properties and can act as a nonperishable model for human tissue. They also display flow-birefringence, which is a property that allows for the analysis of shear wave propagation through the fluid. However, one issue encountered at lower micelle concentrations is the inability to see the emergent birefringence pattern that results from shear wave propagation. In this study Experiment 1 was an analysis of shear …

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An Investigation Of Protein-Dna Binding Characteristics By Fluorescence Anisotropy, Danna Nobile Jan 2015

An Investigation Of Protein-Dna Binding Characteristics By Fluorescence Anisotropy, Danna Nobile

Honors Theses

Recent studies have illustrated the presence of several secondary, non-B DNA structures that are associated with the promoter regions of several oncogenes, such as the intensely studied MYC gene. Two such secondary structures, G-quadruplexes and i-Motifs, have become topics of interest due to their prevalence within oncogenic promoters and their potential accessibility for future drug targeting due to their globular natures. Though fairly extensive research has been conducted to understand different factors affecting G-quadruplex formation and stability, similar studies for i-Motifs, particularly related to thermodynamics, are still evolving. One factor known to contribute to the additional energy required for duplex …

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Comparison Of The Spatial Distributions Of Cavitation Damage With The Measured Diffraction Patterns For A High-Power Ultrasonic Transducer, Davis Lane Rogers Jan 2015

Comparison Of The Spatial Distributions Of Cavitation Damage With The Measured Diffraction Patterns For A High-Power Ultrasonic Transducer, Davis Lane Rogers

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a model of the propagation of ultrasonic fields produced by an ultrasonic transducer, a device that uses a piezoelectric crystal to produce high-intensity ultrasonic waves. The transducer operates immersed in a water bath where it generates waves of sufficient intensity to produce non-linear phenomena that include acoustic streaming and cavitation. This study used a planar transducer to visualize the damaging effects of high-intensity ultrasonic waves targeted on acrylic plates. Seven plates were targeted and positioned from 8.5 to 11.5 cm from the transducer. The spatial distribution and degree of …

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Estimating The Number Of Components Of A Spatial—Em Algorithm: An R Package, Aishat O. Aloba Jan 2015

Estimating The Number Of Components Of A Spatial—Em Algorithm: An R Package, Aishat O. Aloba

Honors Theses

The Expectation Maximization algorithm also known as the EM algorithm is an algorithm used to solve the maximum likelihood parameter estimation problem. This problem arises when some of the data involved are missing or incomplete, hence it becomes difficult to know the parameters of the underlying distribution. The EM algorithm mainly comprises of two steps; the E—Step, and the M—Step. In the E—Step, estimated parameter values are used as true values to calculate the maximum likelihood estimate, and in the M—Step, the maximum likelihood calculated is used to estimate the parameters. The E—Step and M—Step iterate through until a specified …

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From Lazarus To Theophilus: How Manuscript Digitization Led To The Historical, Chemical, And Technological Understanding Of Iron Gall Ink And Its Counterparts, Meredith Oliver Jan 2015

From Lazarus To Theophilus: How Manuscript Digitization Led To The Historical, Chemical, And Technological Understanding Of Iron Gall Ink And Its Counterparts, Meredith Oliver

Honors Theses

This paper examines the physical and chemical composition of iron gall ink, how such composition has changed throughout its use in history, and the current chemical, digital, and multi-spectral methods by which the digital humanities use to preserve ancient texts inscribed with such ink. By using spectral technology, I hypothesized it possible to date and locate the geographic origin of ink based on its chemical composition. Uv-vis, fluorescence, and micro-XRF spectrometry were used to analyze elemental composition. Ink samples were made to simulate the ink on ancient manuscripts for UV-vis and fluorescence spectral analysis. Micro-XRF was performed on the Vercelli …

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Electron Cloud Studies With Transverse Beam Islands, Neetish Pradhan Jan 2015

Electron Cloud Studies With Transverse Beam Islands, Neetish Pradhan

Honors Theses

Electron cloud generation has been a rising problem in high energy beam chambers such as the LHC. In order to mitigate this problem, we looked for the best beam configuration to scrub the chambers and reduce its secondary electron yield. Using simulations, a five-island beam and a three-island beam were compared against a normal single beam. The five-island beam was found to work best.

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Wind Energy Harvesting Utilizing Biaxially Oriented Piezoelectric Polyvinylidenefluoride Film, Matthew Kennedy Jan 2015

Wind Energy Harvesting Utilizing Biaxially Oriented Piezoelectric Polyvinylidenefluoride Film, Matthew Kennedy

Honors Theses

With the growing concern over fossil fuels as a finite source of fuel and as a hazard to the environment, society has developed a growing interest in the use of renewable energy. Advancements in solar, nuclear, geothermal, wind, and vibrational energy harvesting, to name a few, have made the concept of using renewables as a main source of energy more feasible. The research and experimentation conducted for this thesis focused on analyzing the practicality of the future implementation of Biaxially Oriented Piezoelectric Polyvinylidenefluoride in the wind energy harvesting industry. The experiment consisted of data collection and analysis of power output …

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Para-Interface: A Novel Interface For Para-Aeh Software Suite, Michael Ginn Jan 2015

Para-Interface: A Novel Interface For Para-Aeh Software Suite, Michael Ginn

Honors Theses

Para-AEH is a software suite designed to the Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization method. This method is commonly used to model structures by using differential equations to represent larger structure from a smaller structure input. In order to facilitate the University of Mississippi's Department of Mechanical Engineering's research purposes the software needed to be installed. A novel interface was designed to remove the overhead of interacting with the software on a command line based level. The software allows the management of users that can access the software and jobs that package several commands together for asynchronous execution without manual intervention.

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Regime Type And Healthcare Systems: A Global Quantitative Analysis, R. L. Barr Jan 2015

Regime Type And Healthcare Systems: A Global Quantitative Analysis, R. L. Barr

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the link between regime type and healthcare systems. After reviewing literature that examines regime type, social spending, and healthcare, as well as a more specific example of regime change in Chile, it undertakes a multivariate regression analysis of 183 countries. It concludes that democracies have significantly better healthcare-system indicators, but that environmental variables, such as Latitude and Percentage of Rural Population, are more significant predictors of healthcare. It concludes that, while regime type is an important factor, dealing with ecological and locational problems of a country, such as combating tropical diseases and expanding access to infrastructure, are …

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Investigation Into The Initial Electric Field Change Of Lightning Flashes, Ryan Chapman Jan 2015

Investigation Into The Initial Electric Field Change Of Lightning Flashes, Ryan Chapman

Honors Theses

Previously, an initial electric field change (IEC) was found occurring before initial breakdown (IB) pulses by sensors within the reversal distance of 36 lightning flashes [Marshall et al. 2014]. The E-change for a CG flashes was positive within reversal distance, and the E-change for an IC flashes was negative. With this data in mind, an IEC is best defined as occurring from zero slope to gradual increase in E-change at the beginning of a lightning flash, and it ends with the first IB pulse. The purpose of this thesis is to extend said findings to further understand the characteristics of …

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Effect Of Biochar And Activated Carbon Amendments On Gaseous Mercury Emissions Of Soil And Mercury Methylation Rates In Sediment, Ryan Sessums Jan 2015

Effect Of Biochar And Activated Carbon Amendments On Gaseous Mercury Emissions Of Soil And Mercury Methylation Rates In Sediment, Ryan Sessums

Honors Theses

Mercury is a pervasive global contaminant with a complex biogeochemical cycle. In this biogeochemical cycle, methylmercury (MeHg+) tends to biomagnify and concentrate in fish and seafood consumed by humans. This study examines the effect of sorbent amendments on both the mercury emission from soils and the methylation rates of mercury in sediments, both of which are believed to be major contributors to the global cycle. Biochar and activated carbon were used to treat soils and sediments to explore their effects. It was found that biochar and activated carbon reduced gaseous mercury emission by 25% and 49%, respectively. Methylation rates in …

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The Effect Of Polyamines On I-Motif Thermal Stablity, Shelby Claire Liddell Jan 2015

The Effect Of Polyamines On I-Motif Thermal Stablity, Shelby Claire Liddell

Honors Theses

Polyamines are present inside cells at varying concentrations anywhere between 10 mM and 60 mM, and because of their molecular structure they contribute a positive charge to the interior of the cell. There has been previous evidence that the concentrations of polyamines have an effect on the stability of the DNA strands, which can affect the cellular processes. The particular DNA conformation studied is the i-motif, which is formed by intermolecular folding in cytosine rich strands. The i-motif studied is C20T, which is found in the promoter region of the oncogene, c-myc. Stabilization of c-myc can have an effect on …

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An Assessment Of The Angular Spectrum Method For The Propagation Of Ultrasound, Taylor Miller Jan 2015

An Assessment Of The Angular Spectrum Method For The Propagation Of Ultrasound, Taylor Miller

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to investigate the limitations of the angular spectrum method when it is applied to the propagation of acoustic waves in the ultrasonic frequency waves. In this experiment, broadband acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies were propagated through a water bath. Ten planar scans perpendicular to the direction of the wave propagation were taken at 10 different distances from the transducer. These scans recorded the pressure field data at each plane. The angular spectrum method was applied to this data, and used to predict the pressure field data at the other planes. Comparison between this predicted …

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An Economic And Technological Analysis Of 3d Printing In The Automotive, Aerospace, And Medical Industries, J. Alexander Ray Jan 2015

An Economic And Technological Analysis Of 3d Printing In The Automotive, Aerospace, And Medical Industries, J. Alexander Ray

Honors Theses

Although 3D Printing currently produces only a few parts in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, imminent economic changes and technological advances will lead to mass adoption of the technology within the next decade. In the past ten years, 3D Printing technology has advanced so rapidly that the previously unknown manufacturing technique has become a billion dollar industry. Today, 3D Printing pervades many industries. This thesis focuses on the use of 3D Printing in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries. After an introduction examining 3D Printing and general economic production theory, this thesis identifies current and potential uses for 3D …

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Colorism And African American Women In Literature: An Examination Of Colorism And Its Impact On Self-Image, Jakira Davis Jan 2015

Colorism And African American Women In Literature: An Examination Of Colorism And Its Impact On Self-Image, Jakira Davis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore how African American women in literature have been impacted by colorism. Through this study which included a fictional novel from the twentieth century and a non-fictional novel from the twenty-first century we are able to see how women of color have been impacted by colorism. This thesis explores evidence of the impact of colorism and its impact on the image of African American women and young girls. This thesis suggests that there is evidence of colorism found in literature and thus colorism is a real issue in the African American community that …

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Freedom Of Expression And The Enlightenment, Alison Guider Jan 2015

Freedom Of Expression And The Enlightenment, Alison Guider

Honors Theses

This thesis concerns Enlightenment and pre-Enlightenment views of freedom of expression, including topics such as toleration, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. It then looks at how these views shaped some of the ideas that emerged from the American and French Revolution. The conclusions drawn here are drawn from document-based research, both primary and secondary sources. The Enlightenment, although primarily concentrated in the eighteenth century, actually had what one might call precursors in the seventeenth century, including John Locke, Benedict de Spinoza, and Pierre Bayle. These thinkers helped set the stage for Enlightenment thinkers such …

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Breastfeeding: Physiological And Cultural Influences, Alison R. Cegielski Jan 2015

Breastfeeding: Physiological And Cultural Influences, Alison R. Cegielski

Honors Theses

Within a biological perspective, breasts are indisputably for the use of nourishment of the young. This can be seen by how mammary glands are used by every other species other than humans. Humans are the only species that also looks at breasts within a cultural perspective, and that perspective is where the debate of breastfeeding occurs. There is really no debate that if given the option to breastfeed, breastfeeding is the best choice for the development of infants due to the fact that breast milk has been adapted for the human physique. In spite of the health benefits associated with …

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Using Technology To Engage Students In The Stem Field, April Elizabeth Steen Jan 2015

Using Technology To Engage Students In The Stem Field, April Elizabeth Steen

Honors Theses

The United States is currently facing a shortage of qualified STEM professionals in the workforce and in research fields. Part of this lack of professionals can be traced back to lack of interest and lack of proficiency in mathematics and science at the secondary level of education as well as STEM major attrition at the college level. In an effort to increase student interest in STEM fields and increase retention of STEM majors, technology was employed to engage student interest. At the high school level, a physical chemistry demonstration on the spectroscopy of light was created. The demonstration was presented …

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Exploring Discipline Policy Problems In Mississippi Pre-K, Briana A. O'Neil Jan 2015

Exploring Discipline Policy Problems In Mississippi Pre-K, Briana A. O'Neil

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the current state of discipline in publicly funded pre-K in Mississippi to determine policy that state policymakers can implement to prevent excessive suspensions and expulsions. This thesis also takes into account racial disparities found in disciplining pre-K students and explores methods that Mississippi can add to pre-K discipline policy as a preventive measure. Two case studies on North Carolina and Tennessee are utilized to identify potential strategies that Mississippi education can learn from. After analyzing both states, I realized that positive behavior reinforcement had success in both states. North Carolina's Positive Behavior Support and Intervention …

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Unemployment Insurance In A Post-2008 America: Lessons From Chile, Channing Lansdell Jan 2015

Unemployment Insurance In A Post-2008 America: Lessons From Chile, Channing Lansdell

Honors Theses

Unemployment Insurance (UI), in its many forms, has historically been a cornerstone of developed countries' social policy. However, since the financial crisis and following recession in 2008, the American schema of UI has experienced great strain and scrutiny. This undergraduate thesis explores the detailed intricacies of the United States's approach to UI in a post-2008 America, and looks to the Chilean Unemployment Insurance system as a source of potential reform ideas. The paper details the current operations and conceptual underpinnings of the two programs through in-depth case studies, and offers trans-national suggestions for reform. In the case studies, I explain …

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The Way I See It: An Exploration Of College Preparation And Student Aspirations In Mississippi Public High Schools, Christine Dickason Jan 2015

The Way I See It: An Exploration Of College Preparation And Student Aspirations In Mississippi Public High Schools, Christine Dickason

Honors Theses

The Way I See It, conducted with a peer, Kaitlyn Barton, explores college preparation and student aspirations in Mississippi public high schools. In order to gain a thorough understanding of college preparation and student aspirations in the state, we decided to split the thesis into three main components: 1) a survey, distributed to juniors at three high schools in Mississippi, to collect quantitative data; 2) a documentary film, to delve into the qualitative, human side of the issue; and, 3) the written thesis. In my written thesis, I focused on issues of college preparation. Overall, Mississippi high school students are …

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