Structure, Stratigraphy, And Tectonics Preserved Of The Northwestern Bays Mountain Synclinorium, Greene And Hawkins Counties, Northeast Tennessee, John G. Bultman

Masters Theses

The Bays Mountain synclinorium and surrounding area provide critical facies data to address Sevier-Bountian basin development. This area preserves the Middle Ordovician post-Knox unconformity, the Sevier-Blountian basin depositional sequence, overlying Bays Formation quartz arenite-redbed sequence, the Bays/Martinsburg unconformity, and the base of the overlying Caradocian Martinsburg clastic wedge. Detailed geologic mapping in the Northwestern half of the Sevier-Blountian basin has divided the Sevier Shale into three members: a lower thin-bedded, dark gray-black, graptolite-bearing shale overlain by dark gray-black micritic limestone; a middle siltysandy limestone interbedded with light gray silty shale and calcareous sandstone; and an upper thick-bedded light gray shale …

Potential Of Beauveria Bassiana 11-98 As A Biological Control Agent Against Tomato Pests; And Detection Of The Mycotoxic Metabolite Beauvericin In Tomato Plants Using Hplc, Wesley Aaron Powell

Masters Theses

Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin is an entomopathogenic fungus with an extensive insect host range. The isolate Beauveria bassiana 11-98 also endophytically colonizes tomato and cotton plants. In our research, B. bassiana 11-98 was evaluated for its potential to control insect pests of tomato in laboratory assays. Potato aphids, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) exposed to different formulations of B. bassiana 11-98 coniidia in direct contact and contact-while-feeding assays using target concentrations of 1 x 10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶ and 10⁷ conidia/ml. After exposure for 10 days, aphid mortality did not exceed 40% and rate of reproduction was …

The Impact Of Asian Players On The Revenue Of Their Teams And Major League Baseball, Ji-Ho Kim

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Asian players, especially those from South Korea and Japan, on revenue changes of the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball (MLB).

To gather data, the directors of Asian baseball operations from the Seattle Mariners, LA Dodgers and MLB were contacted via e-mail and telephone. In addition, two journalists from the sports industry and two experts from the baseball industry were contacted via e-mail. Further, data showing MLB's and teams' revenue sources from Japan and South Korea were collected from several sports websites.

To investigate the impact …

Synthesis Of 123-Iodine Labeled Rofecoxib Analogues: Potential Nuclear Medicine Imaging Agents, Brandy U. Belue

Masters Theses

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a medical imaging technique which provides three-dimensional images ofliving systems after introduction ofa radiolabeled pharmaceutical. Rofecoxib (4-[ 4-methylsulphonylphenyl]-3phenylfuran-2(SH)-one) is an inhibitor of the cycloxygenase-2 enzyme, an enzyme which has been found to promote cancer cell growth. The synthesis of a no-carrier-added iodine-123 labeled rofecoxib derivative is potentially of value for the detection of cancer utilizing SPECT.

Iodine-123 labeled -(3-Iodophenyl)-4-(methanesulfonylphenyl)-SH furan-2-one, 1, and 3-(4-Iodophenyl)-4-(methanesulfonylphenyl)-5H-furan-2-one, 2, were prepared from the respective potassium organotrifluoroborate salts. The trifluoroborates were prepared from a simple six step pathway.

Performance Study Of Hybrid Spread Spectrum Techniques, Yachna Sharma

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on the performance analysis of hybrid direct sequence/slow frequency hopping (DS/SFH) and hybrid direct sequence/fast frequency hopping (DS/FFH) systems under multi-user interference and Rayleigh fading. First, we analyze the performance of direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), slow frequency hopping (SFH) and fast frequency hopping (FFH) systems for varying processing gains under interference environment assuming equal bandwidth constraint with Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation and synchronous system. After thorough literature survey, we show that hybrid DS/FFH systems outperform both SFH and hybrid DS/SFH systems under Rayleigh fading and multi-user interference. Also, both hybrid DS/SFH and hybrid DS/FFH …

Effect Of Dietary Treatment With Stearidonic Acid And Eicosapentaenoic Acid On Membrane Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition And Glycogen-Elicited Peritoneal Neutrophil Survival In Absence Or Presence Of Bacterial Endotoxin, Jonathan Earl Phipps

Masters Theses

We previously found that enteral nutrition with diets containing elevated levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 n-3) reduced the number of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and improved clinical outcome of patients with or at risk for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We have also shown that the treatment of the neutrophil-like cell line, HL-60, with EPA can induce apoptosis. It is not known, however, if the addition of EPA to the diet would result in similar occurrences in neutrophils.

It has been suggested that the use of diets enriched with stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4 n-3) may provide a novel …

Effect Of Chitosan And Water Soluble Chitosan Coatings On Quality Of Small Fruits, Jason Ki-Myung Noh

Masters Theses

Edible coating has been applied on the surface of fresh produce to extend shelf-life by suppressing respiration, transpiration, and microbial growth. The coatings, thus, can help decrease moisture and weight loss, and may offer a protective barrier against bacterial contamination and spoilage. Recent studies have indicated chitosan as an effective coating that extends shelf-life and improves a storability of fruits. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of natural biodegradable chitosan coatings in extending shelf-life and quality of fresh small fruits, such as blueberries and grapes. Fruits were dipped for 30 seconds in 1% chitosan in 1% …

Topology Optimization Of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polymer Damping Structures, Seshadri Mohan Varma Damu

Masters Theses

Topology optimization has been successfully used for improving vibration damping in constrained layer damping structures. Reinforcing carbon nanotubes in a polymer matrix greatly influence the mechanical properties of the polymer. Such nanotube-reinforced polymers (NRP) can be used to further enhance the damping properties of the constrained layer structures. In this work, topology optimization is performed on constrained damping layer structures using NRP in order to maximize the loss factor for the first resonance frequency of the base beam. In addition to the material fractions of the NRP and elastic material, the volume fraction of the nanotubes in the polymer is …

Leydig Stem Cell Differentiation In The Prepubertal Hamster (Mesocricetus Auratus), Michael W. Hance

Masters Theses

Leydig cells in the testis are the primary source of androgens in the adult male mammal. Therefore, the process of Leydig cell differentiation during the prepubertal period is essential to establish the Leydig cell population in the adult. Little has been published regarding the factors that regulate the postnatal Leydig cell differentiation in hamsters. However, it has been observed in adult male hamsters that Leydig cells regress under reduced photoperiods, but recrudesce with re-exposure to normal photoperiods. In the present investigation, the effects of light, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and melatonin treatment on Leydig cell differentiation in the neonatal-prepubertal hamster are investigated. …

Approaches For Autonomous Vehicles In Civil Airspace: Giving Sight To The Blind, Nicholas Scott Hardman

Masters Theses

The growing prevalence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brings great potential for public benefit, but in order to fly in civil airspace UAVs must avoid traffic without the benefit of an onboard human. Developing this capability presents many system integration challenges.

This report examines the integration of automated detect, see, and avoid (DSA) systems on aircraft. For context, the need for UAV operations is reviewed. The report then examines how DSA fits into the entire framework for aviation safety. The research, test results, and conclusions that follow provide the necessary information to decide:

• how to test and evaluate new …

Universal Geometric Camera Calibration With Statistical Model Selection, Chistopher Paul Broaddus

Masters Theses

We propose a new universal camera calibration approach that uses statistical information criteria for automatic camera model selection. It requires the camera to observe a planar pattern from different positions, and then closed-form estimates for the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters are computed followed by nonlinear optimization. In lieu of modeling radial distortion, the lens projection of the camera is modeled, and in addition we include decentering distortion. This approach is particularly advantageous for wide angle (fisheye) camera calibration because it often reduces the complexity of the model compared to modeling radial distortion. We then apply statistical information criteria to automatically …

Seasonal Forage Availability And Diet Of Reintroduced Elk In The Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee, Jason Lee Lupardus

Masters Theses

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reintroduced elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) into the Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee over a 3-year period beginning in December 2000. We radio-collared 160 elk and monitored them by aerial telemetry from February 2001 to June 2003. Locations (n = 1450) were used in a geographic information system (GIS) to develop a core herd home range (789-ha sampling area) to assess elk seasonal forage use and availability. We monitored diet and resource availability from November 2003 to October 2004 by vegetation sampling and microhistological analysis of feces. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea; 35.1%) dominated …

Enhancing System-On-Chip Verification Using Embedded Test Structures, Wei Jiang

Masters Theses

In this project, we designed and implemented a System-on-Chip platform with embedded test structures. The baseline platform consists of a Leon2 CPU, AMBA on-chip bus, and an Advanced Encryption Standard decryption module. Reconfigurable test logic blocks were embedded to form the test structure that can be used in post-silicon debug and verification.

The System-on-Chip platform was designed at the register transistor level and implemented in an 180nm CMOS process. Test logic instrumentation was done with DAFCA, Inc. (Design Automation for Flexible Chip Architecture) pre-silicon tools. The design was then synthesized using the Synopsys Design Compiler and placed and routed using …

Bench Scale Evaluation Of Dense Ceramic Membranes For Production Of High Purity Hydrogen From Gasification, Binay Kumar Singh

Masters Theses

Gasification for production of hydrogen and other useful gases, has achieved increasing importance in recent years. The reactions involved in gasification are favored at high temperatures and they are also limited by thermodynamic equilibrium. The development of membranes which can separate these gases under gasifier exit gas condition will significantly improve process efficiency and economics and simultaneously provide for the recovery of valuable gases. The availability of a membrane with adequate hydrogen selectivity and good thermal and mechanical stability is the key for the successful application of membrane technology in hydrogen production and separation. This work introduces a special method …

Kinetics Of Cellulose Dissolution In N-Methyl Morpholine-N-Oxide And Evaporative Processes Of Similar Solutions, John William Tierney

Masters Theses

The lyocell process is an environmentally friendly process for producing regenerated cellulose fibers, but is not entirely understood. The lyocell process uses the hygroscopic solvent N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) to dissolve cellulose; the resulting solution is often termed a lyocell solution [1-4]. It is the objective of this study to better understand the process by which cellulose dissolves and the nature of lyocell solutions. By observing the disappearance of cellulose fibers into the solvent, rate data may be obtained from which kinetic parameters may be developed. Additionally an independent method for determining the concentration of cellulose in lyocell solutions was …

Framing, Athletics, And Gender: A Study Of Newspapers And The 2004 Olympics, Nathan Lee Kirkham

Masters Theses

This study serves as an extension of previous research focusing on media content and gender portrayal of female athletes, most notably Kinnick’s research of the 1996 Olympics (1998). In particular, this research analyzed newspaper content for the presence of common framing devices traditionally used to inject gender bias into coverage devoted to female Olympians. More specifically, a data set of 210 articles systematically drawn from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times

was manually coded to compare coverage of male and female Olympians during the 2004 Olympic Games.

While there were some notable exceptions, …

Effect Of Surface Morphology On Adsorption-Induced Bending Of Microcantilevers, Ramya Desikan

Masters Theses

Microcantilevers undergo bending due to molecular adsorption when adsorption is confined to a single surface. The origin of the adsorption-induced force is assumed to be surface stress variation due to molecular adsorption. Single crystal silicon cantilevers were etched for a series of different time periods using two different types of Potassium Hydroxide solutions in order to obtain a rough and a smooth finish on the cantilever surface. Cantilevers that approximately had the same resonance frequency in the rough and smooth etched categories were chosen for comparison in the experiment. Liquid phase adsorption of 1-Do-decan-thiol on the cantilevers having a thin …

Identification Of Terrestrial Alkalic Rocks Using Thermal Emission Spectroscopy: Applications To Martian Remote Sensing, Tasha Laurrelle Dunn

Masters Theses

We present a detailed study examining the use of laboratory thermal emission spectra (5-25 μm at 2 cm^-1 spectral sampling) for identification and classification of alkalic volcanic rocks. Modal mineralogies and derived bulk rock chemistries of a suite of terrestrial alkali basalts, trachyandesites, trachytes, and rhyolites were determined using linear spectral deconvolution. Model-derived mineral modes were compared to modes measured using an electron microprobe mapping technique to access the accuracy of linear deconvolution in determining mineral abundances. Standard deviations of 1σ of absolute differences between measured and modeled mineral abundances range from 0.68 to 15.02 vol %, with …

Competing For Legitimacy: The Development And Evolution Of Forest Certification In Finland, Keith Wellington Mars

Masters Theses

Forest certification in Finland has developed and evolved in favor of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) and not the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The Finnish Forest Certification System (FFCS as endorsed by PEFC) certification of forests in Finland has been achieved at an unprecedented rate and scale. This event, both in process and outcome, was highly contentious and politicized. Finland represents a microcosm of the current issues in forest certification and is ripe for study. However, few attempts have been made to explain why and how forest certification develops and evolves. This thesis sheds light …

Managing The Remaining Service Life Of The T-34c Aircraft, John Howard Rousseau

Masters Theses

The T-34C Airplane has been the primary trainer aircraft of the United States Navy for more than twenty-five years and is reaching the end of its service life. The Navy has delayed the procurement of the replacement T-6A Texan II aircraft for five years, yet does not expect the future training requirements to diminish. This delay in T-6A procurement along with recent observed increases in primary trainer aircraft usage have resulted in the need for the Navy to pay considerable attention to the remaining service life of the T-34C aircraft.

This thesis will discuss the methodology used to determine future …

The Effect Of Stuttering And Fluency-Enhancing Conditions On A Manual Movement Task, Mary Rhodes Robbins

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the possibility of finding and quantifying correlates of stuttering behaviors outside of the speech production system. One female and six male adults who stutter (aged 22-49) drew continuous circles on a digital x-y pad under seven conditions: 1) while silent, 2) while reading alone, 3) while reading under choral speech, 4) while reading under frequency altered feedback (FAF) shifted up one-half octave, 5) while reading under FAF shifted down one-half octave, 6) while reading under delayed auditory feedback (DAF) of 100 milliseconds (ms), and 7) while reading under DAF of 200ms. Normalized jerk (NJ), a measure …

A Dynamic Ampacity Model For The Testing Of Advanced Conductors, Matthew Benjamin Sooter

Masters Theses

Advanced Conductors are an intriguing new technology that promises to help the utility industry increase the transmission capacity available in the United States. Manufacturers of advanced conductors promise double the current carrying capacity of normal Aluminum Clad Steel Reinforced conductor through a combination of increased thermal limits and decreased thermal elongation.

This thesis will outline a control developed for the Power Line Conductor Accelerated Test Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This custom facility is designed for the testing and rapid aging of advanced overhead conductors as part of a U.S. Department of Energy initiative to assist the development and …

A Numerical Study Of Curved Labyrinth Seals For Steam Turbines, Sricharan Kishore Ayyalasomayajula

Masters Theses

A numerical experiment has been conducted to study and evaluate the structural behavior of newly designed labyrinth seals. Structural analysis was performed to understand, evaluate and compare new seals with a baseline straight seal that is typical of commonly used seals in steam turbines. New configurations of labyrinth seal knives were developed for use in steam turbines [17]. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of selected various labyrinth seals that may be configured to minimize the steam leakage and reduce seal interactions with the shaft. Computational fluid dynamic modeling of the various configurations, from …

A Reliability Case Study On Estimating Extremely Small Percentiles Of Strength Data For The Continuous Improvement Of Medium Density Fiberboard Product Quality, Weiwei Chen

Masters Theses

The objective of this thesis is to better estimate extremely small percentiles of strength distributions for measuring failure process in continuous improvement initiatives. These percentiles are of great interest for companies, oversight organizations, and consumers concerned with product safety and reliability. The thesis investigates the lower percentiles for the quality of medium density fiberboard (MDF). The international industrial standard for measuring quality for MDF is internal bond (IB, a tensile strength test). The results of the thesis indicated that the smaller percentiles are crucial, especially the first percentile and lower ones.

The thesis starts by introducing the background, study objectives, …

Development Of A Dilatant Damage Zone Along A Thrust Relay In A Low-Porosity Quartz Arenite, Jennie E. Cook

Masters Theses

A damage zone developed along a backthrust fault system in well-cemented quartz arenite of the Tuscarora Sandstone in the Alleghanian foreland thrust system consists of a network of NW-dipping thrusts that are linked by multiple higher-order faults and bound a zone of intense extensional fractures and breccias. The damage zone is unusual in that it preserves porous brittle fabrics despite formation at >5km depth. The damage zone developed at an extensional step-over between two independent, laterally propagating backthrusts. Continued displacement resulted in breaching of the relay and formation of faultbounded horses, and favored the formation of extensional fractures. The presence …

Cloning And Characterization Of Three Alleles Of The Mouse Furloss (Frl) Gene, Heather Marie Dech

Masters Theses

Single-gene mutations in the mouse serve as useful models for understanding the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of human diseases. Three dominant autosomal mutations affecting skin, hair and eye development in the mouse were recovered in mutagenesis experiments at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Previous work demonstrated that these mutations constitute an allelic series at the mouse Furloss (Frl) locus, and they were given the symbols Frl^a, Frlb and Frlc. The heterozygous phenotypes of all three mutants are similar; the mice appear normal at birth but gradually lose their hair until the hair follicles and sebaceous …

Optimization Of Dsss Receivers Using Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulations, Balbir Kaur Dhillon

Masters Theses

Over the years, there has been significant interest in defining a hardware abstraction layer to facilitate code reuse in software defined radio (SDR) applications. Designers are looking for a way to enable application software to specify a waveform, configure the platform, and control digital signal processing (DSP) functions in a hardware platform in a way that insulates it from the details of realization.

This thesis presents a tool-based methodolgy for developing and optimizing a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) transceiver deployed in custom hardware like Field Programmble Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The system model consists of a tranmitter which employs a …

Characterizing Turbulence Structure Along Woody Vegetated Banks In Incised Channels: Implications For Stream Restoration, Frank James Dworak

Masters Theses

The impacts of urbanization have modified natural watersheds and stream hydraulic, hydrologic, and geomorphic processes that have lead to geomorphic and ecological disturbances in natural stream systems. These alterations have resulted in channel incision and the loss of channel-scale hydraulic characteristics responsible for initiating and maintaining pool-riffle bedforms, which are capable of supporting diverse biological stream ecosystems. Through the use of FLOW-3D, a 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, three scenarios of an urban, incised, and channelized stream were simulated to characterize the turbulent, hydraulic structure during bankfull discharge. The simulations were conducted with trees inhibiting bankfull flow (representing the channel’s …

Hardware Design And Implementation Of Role-Based Cryptography, Scott Edward Fields

Masters Theses

Traditional public key cryptographic methods provide access control to sensitive data by allowing the message sender to grant a single recipient permission to read the encrypted message. The Need2Know® system (N2K) improves upon these methods by providing role-based access control. N2K defines data access permissions similar to those of a multi-user file system, but N2K strictly enforces access through cryptographic standards. Since custom hardware can efficiently implement many cryptographic algorithms and can provide additional security, N2K stands to benefit greatly from a hardware implementation. To this end, the main N2K algorithm, the Key Protection Module (KPM), is being specified in …

Information-Seeking Behavior Of Social Sciences And Humanities Researchers In The Internet Age, Xuemei Ge

Masters Theses

This study focuses on how Internet technology influences and contributes to the information-seeking process in the social sciences and humanities. The study examines the information-seeking behavior of faculty and doctoral students in these fields and observes and extends Ellis’s model of information-seeking behavior for social scientists, which includes six characteristics: starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting.

The study was conducted at Tennessee State University. Thirty active social sciences and humanities faculty and doctoral students were interviewed about their use of Internet resources, their perception of electronic and print materials, and their opinions concerning the Ellis model and how it …