Digital Commons Network^™

Qualitative Inquiry Of Biased And Exemplary Practices Of White Supervisors In Multicultural Supervision, Brian D. Paul

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ben Jonson And The Mirror: Folly Knows No Gender, Sherry Broadwell Niewoonder

Dissertations

Ben Jonson, Renaissance poet and playwright, has been the subject of renewed evaluation in recent scholarship, particularly new historicism and cultural materialism. The consensus among some current scholars is that Jonson overtly practices and advocates misogyny in his dramas. Such theorists suggest that Jonson both embodies and promulgates the antiwoman rhetoric of his time, basing their position on contemporary cultural material, religious tracts, and the writings of King James I. However, the external evidence cited by late twentieth-century writers as to the nature of women's position in seventeenth-century England is contradictory and speculative. A more productive method of determining misogyny …

Turbo Space-Time Coded Modulation : Principle And Performance Analysis, Dongzhe Cui

Dissertations

A breakthrough in coding was achieved with the invention of turbo codes. Turbo codes approach Shannon capacity by displaying the properties of long random codes, yet allowing efficient decoding. Coding alone, however, cannot fully address the problem of multipath fading channel. Recent advances in information theory have revolutionized the traditional view of multipath channel as an impairment. New results show that high gains in capacity can be achieved through the use of multiple antennas at the transmitter and the receiver. To take advantage of these new results in information theory, it is necessary to devise methods that allow communication systems …

E-Docspros : Exploring Texpros Into E-Business Era, Zhenfu Cheng

Dissertations

Document processing is a critical element of office automation. TEXPROS (TEXt PROcessing System) is a knowledge-based system designed to manage personal documents. However, as the Internet and e-Business changed the way offices operate, there is a need to re-envision document processing, storage, retrieval, and sharing. In the current environment, people must be able to access documents remotely and to share those documents with others. e-DOCPROS (e-DOCument PROcessing System) is a new document processing system that takes advantage of many of TEXPROS's structures but adapts the system to this new environment. The new system is built to serve e-businesses, takes advantage …

Low Energy Implantation Of Boron With Decaborane Ions, Maria Angela Albano

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to determine the feasibility of a novel approach to forming ultra shallow p-type junctions (tens of nm.) needed for future generations of Si MOS devices. In the new approach, B dopant atoms are implanted by cluster ions obtained by ionization of decaborane (B₁₀H₁₄)vapor. Each B atom carries only ~9% of the cluster kinetic energy and the B dose per unit charge is 10 times larger than in the case of monomer ion beams. Thus, the problems of spacecharge, limiting the extraction and transport of low energy (< = 1 keV) beams of B⁺ ions, can …

A Conceptual Framework Of Cost/Benefit Justification For Ergonomic Projects To Reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders In The Workplace, Nitipong Boon-Long

Dissertations

A framework for justifying ergonomic projects to the overall cost savings is developed which estimates the extent of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) exposures to a specific industry. A cost structure is developed to estimate the investment needed for an ergonomics program and the costs related to MSDs problems including workers' compensation costs, work-related costs, and labor turnover costs. Data was adopted from sources including Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP-3), and estimates suggested in OSHA's former Ergonomics Standard. Top fifteen manufacturing industries with the highest MSDs rates were selected to apply the framework. Results showed …

Scheduling Algorithms For High-Speed Switches, Jinhui Li

Dissertations

The virtual output queued (VOQ) switching architecture was adopted for high speed switch implementation owing to its scalability and high throughput. An ideal VOQ algorithm should provide Quality of Service (QoS) with low complexity. However, none of the existing algorithms can meet these requirements.

Several algorithms for VOQ switches are introduced in this dissertation in order to improve upon existing algorithms in terms of implementation or QoS features. Initially, the earliest due date first matching (EDDFM) algorithm, which is stable for both uniform and non-uniform traffic patterns, is proposed. EDDFM has lower probability of cell overdue than other existing maximum …

Broadband Whole Package Fdtd Simulation, Shenjun Li

Dissertations

Whole package analysis is becoming more and more important with the rapid expansion of high frequency electronics. The motivation of this thesis is to find and implement a new method for broadband whole package simulation. 3-dimension (3-D) whole package Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation result was first reported in detail in this thesis.

The FDTD method is a widely used full-wave time-domain simulation method used in the design and analysis for electromagnetic (EM) systems, such as antennas, wave propagating, and microwave circuits. Absorbing boundary condition (ABC), such as the perfect matched layer (PML) method, makes it possible to accurately …

Augmenting Applications With Hyper Media, Functionality And Meta-Information, Roberto Galnares

Dissertations

The Dynamic Hypermedia Engine (DHE) enhances analytical applications by adding relationships, semantics and other metadata to the application's output and user interface. DHE also provides additional hypermedia navigational, structural and annotation functionality. These features allow application developers and users to add guided tours, personal links and sharable annotations, among other features, into applications. DHE runs as a middleware between the application user interface and its business logic and processes, in a n-tier architecture, supporting the extra functionalities without altering the original systems by means of application wrappers.

DHE automatically generates links at run-time for each of those elements having relationships …

2d And 3d Surface Image Processing Algorithms And Their Applications, Jianlin Gao

Dissertations

This doctoral dissertation work aims to develop algorithms for 2D image segmentation application of solar filament disappearance detection, 3D mesh simplification, and 3D image warping in pre-surgery simulation. Filament area detection in solar images is an image segmentation problem. A thresholding and region growing combined method is proposed and applied in this application. Based on the filament area detection results, filament disappearances are reported in real time. The solar images in 1999 are processed with this proposed system and three statistical results of filaments are presented.

3D images can be obtained by passive and active range sensing. An image registration …

Volume Change Behavior Of Clay Soils And The Effect On Discrete Fractures, Heather Ann Hall

Dissertations

This study examines the behavior of subsurface fractures in fine-grained soil such as clays in response to changing environmental conditions. Fractures serve as conduits for moisture transfer, which can lead to substantial shrinking and swelling of the surrounding fracture boundary soils. These volume changes, in turn, affect fracture geometry and moisture transmission rates. A new predictive model, termed the 'Fracture Volume Change Model' (FVC Model), has been developed to relate moisture transfer, soil volume change and associated changes in fracture aperture. The model assumes a discrete horizontal fracture in a laterally-infinite, saturated, expansive clay with rigid, outer no-flow boundaries and …

A Dynamical Model Of The Distributed Interaction Of Intracellular Signals, Adrienne C.N. James

Dissertations

A major goal of modern cell biology is to understand the regulation of cell behavior in the reductive terms of all the molecular interactions. This aim is made explicit by the assertion that understanding a cell's response to stimuli requires a full inventory of details. Currently, no satisfactory explanation exists to explain why cells exhibit only a relatively small number of different behavioral modes.

In this thesis, a discrete dynamical model is developed to study interactions between certain types of signaling proteins. The model is generic and "connectionist" in nature and incorporates important concepts from the biology. The emphasis is …

Knowledge-Based Document Retrieval With Application To Texpros, Fang Sheng

Dissertations

Document retrieval in an information system is most often accomplished through keyword search. The common technique behind keyword search is indexing. The major drawback of such a search technique is its lack of effectiveness and accuracy. It is very common in a typical keyword search over the Internet to identify hundreds or even thousands of records as the potentially desired records. However, often few of them are relevant to users' interests.

This dissertation presents knowledge-based document retrieval architecture with application to TEXPROS. The architecture is based on a dual document model that consists of a document type hierarchy and, a …

Channel Estimation And Signal Enhancement For Ds-Cdma Systems, Kun Wang

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on topics of Bayesian-based multiuser detection, space-time (S-T) transceiver design, and S-T channel parameter estimation for direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) systems.

Using the Bayesian framework, various linear and simplified nonlinear multiuser detectors are proposed, and their performances are analyzed. The simplified non-linear Bayesian solutions can bridge the performance gap between sub-optimal linear multiuser detectors and the optimum multiuser detector.

To further improve the system capacity and performance, S-T transceiver design approaches with complexity constraint are investigated. Novel S-T receivers of low-complexity that jointly use the temporal code-signature and the spatial signature are proposed. Our solutions, which lead …

Efficient Inversion Methods In Underwater Acoustics, Xiaoqun Ma

Dissertations

This dissertation describes efficient methods developed and implemented for source localization and sound speed and bottom depth estimation using sound propagation in the ocean. The proposed inversion techniques are based on the linearization of the generally non-linear inverse problem of parameter estimation in underwater acoustics. These techniques take into account properties of the ocean environment and are accurate in their estimation results without being prohibitively computationally intensive. For the inversion, select ray paths are taken into account: the direct, first surface bounce, and first bottom bounce. Ray travel time derivatives with respect to parameters that affect path arrival times are …

An Experimental Study Of Dry Particle Coating : Devices, Operating Parameters And Applications, Michelle Ramlakhan Mohan

Dissertations

Dry particle coating, which mechanically coats fine guest particles onto the surfaces of larger host particles, without binders or solvents, is investigated. Several systems of host and guest particles are coated in different devices to study various aspects of dry particle coating. The devices used are Magnetically Assisted Impaction Coating (MAIC) device, Mechanofusion, and the Hybridizer.

MAIC is used to coat fine SiO₂ guest particles onto the surface of larger cornstarch and cellulose host particles. This is done to simultaneously improve the flowability of the host particles, as well as reduce their hydrophilicity. Dry particle coating is used to …

Near-Field Imaging With Terahertz Pulses, Oleg Mitrofanov

Dissertations

High spatial resolution imaging is implemented with a novel collection mode near-field terahertz (THz) probe. Exceptional sensitivity of the probe allows imaging with spatial resolution of few microns using THz pulses with spectral content of 120 to 1500 microns. In the present study, the principle of the probe operation as well as the probe design and characteristics are described.

The probe performance is related to effective detection of radiation coupled into the probe aperture. Propagation of short single-cycle electromagnetic pulses through apertures as small as 1/300 of the wavelength is experimentally and numerically studied. Finite-difference time-domain method is used to …

Gated Multi-Cycle Integration (Gmci) For Focal Plane Array (Fpa) Applications, Haijiang Ou

Dissertations

In this thesis, the model and the theory of gated multi-cycle integration (GMCI) were first developed specifically for focal plane array dealing with repetitive or modulated image. The operational modes of GMCI include gated integration (GI), phase sensitive integration (PSI), multi-point summation, multi-point subtraction, multi-sample averaging and some of their combinations. Thus, the analytic theory of GMCI somehow unifies the theories of gated integration, phase sensitive detection, multiple summation and average. PSI works with background and/or dark current subtraction. As a result, the storage well of a pixel is mainly used for signal integration even if there exists a strong …

Modeling, Design And Scheduling Of Computer Integrated Manufacturing And Demanufacturing Systems, Ying Tang

Dissertations

This doctoral dissertation work aims to provide a discrete-event system-based methodology for design, implementation, and operation of flexible and agile manufacturing and demanufacturing systems. After a review of the current academic and industrial activities in these fields, a Virtual Production Lines (VPLs) design methodology is proposed to facilitate a Manufacturing Execution System integrated with a shop floor system. A case study on a back-end semiconductor line is performed to demonstrate that the proposed methodology is effective to increase system throughput and decrease tardiness. An adaptive algorithm is proposed to deal with the machine failure and maintenance. To minimize the environmental …

A Near-Infrared Filter System And Study Of Solar Umbral Dots At 1.6 Μm, Jingshan Wang

Dissertations

The observations of solar magnetic fields are very important because they influence events on the sun. Almost all of magnetographs in the world work in the visible wavelength and they are powerful instruments for measuring strong magnetic fields (above 1000 Gauss) on the sun. To measure the weak solar magnetic fields (below 1000 Gauss), a new filter system (magnetograph) working in near-IR wavelength has been developed in this work. This system includes an interference prefilter (FWHM - 40Å), a liquid crystal magnetic analyzer, a near-IR bireffingent filter (FWHM - 2.5Å), a near-IR Fabry-Perot filter (FWHM - 0.12Å), a near-IR InGaAs …

Joint Source Channel Coding For Progressive Image Transmission, Minyi Zhao

Dissertations

Recent wavelet-based image compression algorithms achieve best ever performances with fully embedded bit streams. However, those embedded bit streams are very sensitive to channel noise and protections from channel coding are necessary. Typical error correcting capability of channel codes varies according to different channel conditions. Thus, separate design leads to performance degradation relative to what could be achieved through joint design. In joint source-channel coding schemes, the choice of source coding parameters may vary over time and channel conditions. In this research, we proposed a general approach for the evaluation of such joint source-channel coding scheme. Instead of using the …

Software And Hardware Improvements For Digital Solar Magnetograph System, Shu Yang

Dissertations

Digital solar imaging systems have been widely used in solar observations. Their high resolution, high rate of image acquisition and convenience for off-line image processing have provided significant improvements to solar physics research. In this project, two digital magnetograph systems established at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) have been described. One is used to provide a high frame rate magnetogram system, and the other provides a real-time image alignment, i.e., a correlation tracker system.

The developed correlation tracker system consists of a high-speed 64x64 CCD camera, an EDT image grabbing board, an agile mirror, a D/A board and a Sun …

Novel Multiuser Detection And Multi-Rate Schemes For Multi-Carrier Cdma, Pingping Zong

Dissertations

A large variety of services is [sic] expected for wireless systems, in particular, high data rate services, such as wireless Internet access. Users with different data rates and quality of service (QoS) requirements must be accommodated. A suitable multiple access scheme is key to enabling wireless systems to support both the high data rate and the integrated multiple data rate transmissions with satisfactory performance and flexibility. A multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) scheme is a promising candidate for emerging broadband wireless systems. MC-CDMA is a hybrid of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and code division multiple access (CDMA). The …

Plasma Induced Damage To Si And Sige Devices And Materials, Wei Zhong

Dissertations

This thesis studied the plasma-induced damage to Si and strained Si_1-xGe_x, and the resulting change in device characteristics. The energetic particles (ions, electrons and photons) in plasma reactor present a potentially hostile environment for processing VLSI devices. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor was used to study its damage effects to thin gate oxides. Electrical characterizations by C-V, ramped voltage breakdown (RVB) and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurement, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis were employed to investigate the damages to thin gate oxides and Si/SiO₂ interface. The shift of flat band voltage, the reduction …

Designing Web-Based Adaptive Learning Environment : Distils As An Example, Lilian Cao

Dissertations

In this study, two components are developed for the Web-based adaptive learning: an online Intelligent Tutoring Tool (ITT) and an Adaptive Lecture Guidance (ALG). The ITT provides students timely problem-solving help in a dynamic Web environment. The ALG prevents students from being disoriented when a new domain is presented using Web technology. A prototype, Distributed Intelligent Learning System (DISTILS), has been implemented in a general chemistry laboratory domain.

In DISTILS, students interact with the ITT through a Web browser. When a student selects a problem, the problem is formatted and displayed in the user interface for the student to solve. …

Design Of Traffic Shaper / Scheduler For Packet Switches And Diffserv Networks : Algorithms And Architectures, Surong Zeng

Dissertations

The convergence of communications, information, commerce and computing are creating a significant demand and opportunity for multimedia and multi-class communication services. In such environments, controlling the network behavior and guaranteeing the user's quality of service is required. A flexible hierarchical sorting architecture which can function either as a traffic shaper or a scheduler according to the requirement of the traffic load is presented to meet the requirement. The core structure can be implemented as a hierarchical traffic shaper which can support a large number of connections with a wide variety of rates and burstiness without the loss of the granularity …

The Effects Of Reengineering On Hospital Performance Indicators, Linda Rutgers Albery

Dissertations

Reengineering was a management tactic designed to reduce costs and increase efficiencies in the work place. Although many hospitals reported reengineering efforts were a priority during the latter part of the 1990s, little research has been done to determine the effects of reengineering on cost and quality performance indicators.

This research studied a large regional medical center located in southwest Michigan, which implemented patient-focused care redesign. Within this medical center, ten separate and distinct patient care departments were studied over a 5-year period. These departments included critical care, medical, surgical, obstetric and pediatric areas. During the first year o f …

Promoting Healthy Behavior Change In Skin Cancer Risk Reduction Using The Transtheoretical Stages Of Change Model, Sherry L. Pagoto

Dissertations

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States with 20% of people developing some form of skin cancer in their lifetime (American Cancer Society, 1999). In spite of the high incidence of skin cancer, it is highly preventable. Approximately 90% of the cases are caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (Skin Cancer Foundation, 1992). The effect of an intervention aimed at reducing skin cancer risk was compared to a survey only control group in 99 Chicago beach-goers. The intervention was based on the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model (TTM) and included sun sensitivity …

The Sense Of Nonsense: An Annotated Edition Of Ring W. Lardner’S Short Plays, Scott A. Topping

Dissertations

This edition presents twenty-one short plays by Ring W. Lardner (1885-1933), most of which have previously been accessible only on microfilm and in special collections. No edition exclusively dedicated to Lardner’s plays has ever been published. Though Lardner is known primarily for his short stories and sports writing, he considered himself to be a playwright and lyricist. Throughout his career he wrote several full-length plays (collaborating with George Cohan and George Kaufman, among others) and hundreds of short plays and sketches from which my collection is derived. Lardner’s sensitive ear for American dialects, praised by H. L. Mencken, Carl Van …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of An Outlier On Correlation Coefficients Across Small Sample Data Where Rho Is Non-Zero, Maria A. Suchowski

Dissertations

This study addressed the problem o f the probable effectiveness o f the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) as an estimator o f moderate or strong population correlation (rho) when that estimate is based on small sample data which contains an outlier. In such a situation, three components contribute to the size o f a sample correlation coefficient, and so to the subsequent effectiveness o f the resulting estimation decision. These components are 1) rho, 2) sample size, and 3) outlier. Considered in this study were: two conditions o f rho (.5 and .8), three sample sizes (10, 30 and 50) …