Digital Commons Network^™

Collision Spectroscopy Of Low Energy Capture By Multiply Charged Ions From Atomic Targets, Kadir Akgungor

Dissertations

State-selective differential cross sections for single-electron capture processes in very slow collisions of Ar^q+ (q = 4 - 6) ions with Ne, and Ar^6+ ions with He have been studied experimentally at laboratory collision energies between 15 and 100 qeV, and at scattering angles between 0° and 8° by means of translational energy-gain spectroscopy technique. The translational energy spectra show that only a few final states are populated depending on the charge state of the projectile, the projectile laboratory scattering angle, and the collision energy. These measurements also show that the dominant reaction channels are due to capture into excited …

An Integrated Environment For Problem Solving And Program Development, Fadi Pierre Deek

Dissertations

A framework for an integrated problem solving and program development environment that addresses the needs of students learning programming is proposed. Several objectives have been accomplished: defining the tasks required for program development and a literature review to determine the actual difficulties involved in learning those tasks. A comprehensive Study of environments and tools developed to support the learning of problem solving and programming was then performed, covering programming environments, debugging aids, intelligent tutoring systems, and intelligent programming environments. This was followed by a careful analysis and critique of these systems, which uncovered the limitations that have prevented them from …

Fractionally Sampled Decorrelating Detectors For Time-Varying Rayleigh Fading Cdma Channels, Huaping Liu

Dissertations

In this dissertation, we propose novel decorrelating multiuser detectors in DSCDMA time-varying frequency-nonselective and frequency-selective fading channels and analyze their performance. We address the common shortcomings of existing multiuser detectors in a mobile environment, such as detector complexity and the error floor. An analytical approach is employed almost exclusively and Monte Carlo simulation is used to confirm the theoretical results. Practical channel models, such as Jakes' and Markovian, are adopted in the numerical examples.

The proposed detectors are of the decorrelating type and utilize fractional sampling to simultaneously achieve two goals: (1) the novel realization of a decorrelator with lower …

Analysis Of Safe Separation Distances From Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines, James Stephen Haklar

Dissertations

Accidental rupture of natural gas transmission pipelines with subsequent ignition of the escaping gas can result in the loss of life and property. In the United States, current means of protecting both the pipeline and the public include the establishment of class locations, in which specific pipeline design, construction and operation requirements must be attained. In addition, distances at which the pipelines can be safely set back from the community, called safe separation distances, have been developed in some European countries (e.g., Great Britain, the Netherlands) through use of risk assessment principles. However, to date there has been no simple, …

Modeling Study On The Neopentyl+ O2 Reaction System And Experimental And Modeling Study On Mtbe Pyrolysis And Oxidation, Ru Wei

Dissertations

A modeling study on neopentyl radical + O₂ reaction system is conducted in this study. Thermodynamic parameters on all species and important transition states are calculated. A thermochemical kinetic analysis is performed.

Thermodynamic parameters are estimated using group additivity with HBI groups. Transition state energies are evaluated from experimental and theoretical data in the literature, combined with elementary reaction modeling to account for temperature effects. Transition state structures, vibration frequencies and entropies are determined from semi-empirical calculations, MOPAC PM3. Kinetics are analyzed with quantum RRK theory for k(E) coupled with modified strong collision analysis of Gilbert et al for …

Electrocatalytic Control Of Exhaust Soot, Victor L. Callahan

Dissertations

The feasibility of combining electrostatic precipitation and use of a catalytic wall in a straight tube reactor as a means of destroying soot particles was investigated. Enhanced particle diffusion to the wall by an applied electric field provided the means of particle capture for subsequent catalytic oxidation at the active surface in a small length tube.

Soot particles flowing in a gas stream are influenced by the following transport mechanisms: convective flux as a result of bulk flow, diffusion flux as a result of particle concentration or number density gradient, and an electrostatic flux from the coulombic attraction as charged …

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Selected Nonpharmacologic Pain Interventions In Infants, Cindy Smith Greenberg Dnsc, Ms, Rn, Cpnp

Dissertations

Infants subjected to painful stimuli respond with deleterious physiologic and metabolic effects, behavioral changes, and potentially long term effects on painful stimuli processing and response. There are few studies that address effective pain interventions for infants, particularly those interventions that staff nurses can implement independently. Interventions must be identified and their effectiveness must be validated for this vulnerable population. Pharmacologic management of pain may cause deleterious side effects and needs to be ordered by physicians or nurse practitioners. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage pain can usually be implemented by staff nurses independently. This study evaluated the efficacy of two nonpharmacologic pain …

Effects Of Linear And Non-Linear Incentive Pay Systems With Individual And Group Payouts On The Social Psychology Phenomenon Of Social Loafing, Delores A. Tinley Smoot

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, the experiment investigated the occurrence of social loafing behavior when individuals are engaged in a production task. Social loafing is defined as a decrement in individual performance when working co-actively with a group. Second, the experiment compared the effectiveness of three incentive pay systems (linear, positively and negatively accelerating) in eliminating social loafing behavior and in generating performance levels higher than those generated by a flat or hourly pay system.

Sixteen undergraduate students, all female, participated in twenty-five 15- minute work sessions in which they made widgets from pop beads. Subjects …

Discrimination Against Female Graduate Teaching Assistants, Joanne Ardovini-Brooker

Dissertations

Many studies have been done concerning the classroom climate, particularly in the university setting. It has been found that the classroom climate for women is one that is cold, unreceptive, unwelcoming, and even hostile to women. This chilly reception is endured by female undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors. This researcher believes that the chilly classroom climate also extends to female graduate teaching assistants/instructors. I also believe that this chilly climate may be chillier and more hostile for them, since graduate teaching assistants/instructors do not have the status associated with a doctoral degree. This concept is the basis for what …

The Clastogenic Effects Of Cyclophosphamide And A Sixty Hertz Electromagnetic Field On Bone Marrow Cells Of Cd-1 Mice, Kevin K. Block

Dissertations

Extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) have been correlated with the induction of cancer in a number of epidemiological studies (Feychting and Ahlbom, 1993; T,m and Lee, 1994; London e t al. 1991; Lovely et al., 1994; Tomenius, 1986; Wertheimer and Leeper, 1979, 1982). Two hypothesis were tested in the present study. The first hypothesis tested was that exposure to a 7.3 G magnetic field for 24 hours would increase the frequency of clastogenic and/or mutagenic events in bone m arrow cells of mice. The second hypothesis tested was that exposure to a 7.3 G magnetic field for 24 …

Systematics Of Stable Isotopes And Radionuclides In Precipitation At Kalamazoo, Michigan, Usa, Madhav V. Machavaram

Dissertations

Precipitation samples were collected at Kalamazoo from June 1992 to March 1995. The samples were analyzed for their 8D and 8lgO values. The 5D - 5I80 relationship is comparable to that of Meteoric Water Line (MWL). The monthly mean isotopic values in precipitation exhibited strong seasonality, being higher in summer and lower in winter months. This behavior is apparently a direct consequence of the temperature effect on isotope fractionation.

The summer precipitation at Kalamazoo is derived predominantly from the water vapor originated in the Gulf of Mexico. A box model calculation showed that a Rayleigh type distillation with Gulf moisture …

Human Impulsivity: Effects Of Reinforcement Procedure, Catherine A. Karas

Dissertations

In this study, positive and negative reinforcement procedures were directly compared across subjects to determine whether more impulsive responding would occur with one reinforcement procedure when compared to the other, under a discrete-trial choice procedure. For both reinforcement procedures, taped music served as the reinforcer. For the positive reinforcer, subjects brought in their own music, from which tapes were made for use in the study. Subjects then ranked the tapes according to their preferences. For the negative reinforcers, the investigators made tapes of various types of music, and all subjects ranked their preferences for these tapes. Subjects were then presented …

A Test Of A Rapid Developer Model: Workplace Factors Associated With Learning And Development, James A. Alexander

Dissertations

The speed at which individuals and organizations learn and develop is a vital contributor to organizational change and organizational effectiveness. This study postulated the notion of "rapid developers”, those persons who learn and acquire job competence more quickly than their peers. The purpose of this study was to identify, define, and differentiate the factors associated with "rapid development."

The author constructed a rapid developer model based upon the review of the disciplines of training, performance technology, total quality, organization learning, and organization culture. The model identified and defined the contextual factors that could be expected, based on an understanding of …

The Lived Experience Of Women Prior To Hospitalization For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Llamae R. Hughes Dnsc

Dissertations

Recent research indicates that the majority of women underestimate their risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD claims the lives of more women than all forms of cancer; however, women have not received the symptom recognition or treatment that has been accorded to men with CAD. Review of literature indicated a lack of research regarding the experiences of women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of women with AMI immediately prior to hospitalization. The lines of inquiry focused on descriptive language regarding pre-event feelings, the symptoms experienced at AMI onset, their response to …

Clashing Cultures Or Collaborating Networks: A Study Of Organization Culture In Breast Cancer Prevention, Joseph V. Raffa Edd

Dissertations

This study explored organization culture and policy within the community/metaorganization formed by diverse arenas of breast cancer prevention. The subject area of breast cancer was chosen due to its social significance as a major health issue. The phenomenon of organization culture was chosen due to the interest of the researcher, and the implications for collaborative leadership within the cancer prevention community. The community/metaorganization includes formal and informal relationships between organizations that have a role in the prevention of breast cancer. Included were individuals working/volunteering in different arenas across organizations with undefined lines of authority and communication. Four arenas of involvement …

Localization And Transport Effects In The Disordered Materials, Vladislav Malyshkin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Groundwater-Kalamazoo River Interaction Near The Parchment City Wellfield, Parchment, Michigan, W. Richard Laton

Dissertations

A detailed hydrogeologic study of the Kalamazoo River and its interaction with the groundwater was completed near Parchment, Michigan. The Kalamazoo River between Portage Creek and Allegan Dam is a Federal superfund site due to PCB contamination trapped in its sediments. The City of Parchment pumps all of its drinking water from a glacial aquifer 850 feet from the Kalamazoo River. This study focused on the hydrogeology and groundwater/surface interaction of the area through the use of surface and downhole geophysics, installation of monitoring wells and peizometers, seepage meters and chemical sampling. It was determined that the Kalamazoo River is …

Do Reinforcer Surveys Enhance A Brief Parenting Skills Program For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disordered Children?, Maria A. Channell

Dissertations

Several clinical researchers have documented the benefits of evaluating reinforcer preference prior to the implementation of behavioral parent training programs. However, this has not been specifically tested with Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disordered (ADHD) population in relation to parent training. This between groups study investigated whether systematically altering parent delivered reinforcers to match children’s preferred reinforcers would result in an even greater increased compliance and decreased noncompliance.

One group received a brief (4-6 session) parenting program based on Patterson’s (1974) model. A second group received the same program with an added component wherein the child completed a reinforcer survey prior to the …

Effects Of Alternative Activities On Productivity Under Different Percentages Of Incentive Pay, Grainne A. Matthews

Dissertations

This study examined whether low percentages of incentive pay would be as effective as high percentages in maintaining work performance in the presence of competitive alternative activities. Incentives may increase performance primarily by decreasing time spent performing alternative activities. Although the link between performance and pay is tighter when the percentage of incentive pay is higher, laboratory studies have not found the expected difference. It is possible that previous simulations of work settings have not offered realistic competing contingencies. This study used a computer simulation of a quality inspection task and provided computer games as alternative activities to participants who …

Perceived Support For Change And Implementation Of Title I Of The Ada In Michigan’S Public School Districts, Truman S. Forest

Dissertations

Data for this study were gathered by survey from public school districts in the state of Michigan that employed more than one central office administrator. The survey was sent to human resource administrators as well as assistant superintendents and other central office administrators in 339 school districts. A total of 188 valid responses were received for a response rate of 55.8 percent.

The study tested five relational hypotheses. Ha1 through Ha4 were tested to determine if a relationship existed between the category of school district readiness to implement Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Readiness) and such …

Bandwidth, Edgesum And Profile Of Graphs, Yung-Ling Lai

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design Fabrication And Characterization Of High Performance In Gaas/Inp Focal Plane Array In The 1-2.6 Μm Wavelength Region, Krishna R. Linga

Dissertations

This research thesis describes a new In_xGa_1-xAs/InA_ysP_1-y/InP technology for long wavelength photodetectors and photodetector arrays. A unique and novel detector structure was designed and fabricated using Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy, for low leakage current photodetector arrays in the 1-2.6 µm wavelength region. Potential applications of InGaAs focal plane arrays include near-infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence, remote sensing, environmental sensing, space and astronomical applications. The unique design concepts included the step grading of InAsP layers, lower lattice mismatch between the two InAsP graded layers, lattice matched InAsP cap layer and InGaAs absorption layer, sulphur doping …

Distribution Of Velocities And Velocity Gradients In Mixing And Flocculation Vessels : Comparison Between Ldv Data And Cfd Predictions, Changgen Luo

Dissertations

Flocculation is an operation of significant industrial relevance commonly encountered in many processes, including water and wastewater treatment. The physico-chemical phenomena of this process is strongly affected by the magnitude of the velocity gradients generated, typically through agitation, in rapid mix devices and flocculation vessels.

In this work the fluid dynamic characteristics of mechanically agitated systems, namely three different types of stirred tanks, which can be used as flocculation vessels, were studied. Both the mean and fluctuating velocities in all three directions were measured by using a Laser-Doppler Velocimeter (LDV). The velocity distribution, fluctuating velocities, power consumption and local velocity …

Multi-Wavelength Pyrometric Systems For Emissivity-Independent Non-Contact Temperature Sensing, Michael B. Kaplinsky

Dissertations

A Multi-Wavelength Imaging Pyrometer (M-WIP) for real-time remote sensing of temperature profiles of targets with unknown emissivity was developed and demonstrated. To measure the spectral radiance of a target at several distinct wavelengths an M-WIP system was implemented based on an 320x122-element PtSi IR-CCD imager with an assembly of 7 narrow-band 1k filters in the range from 1790nm to 4536nm. A real-time algorithm for simultaneous estimation of the temperature and model parameters of the target emissivity from the least-squares fit of the theoretical model of 1k camera output signal to the experimental spectral measurements was developed and implemented. This rea1-time …

Particle Deposition From Turbulent Flow In A Divergent Channel, Wai-Ting Huang

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a numerical analysis of particle deposition from a dilute gas-solid two-phase suspension in a divergent channel. The Lagrangian governing equations for particle motion include inertia force, viscous force, gravity force and image force from electrostatic charge on the particle. The incompressible two-dimensional turbulent flow field in a divergent channel is solved by employing a Κ-ε modeling technique with FIDAP finite element CFD software. A computational procedure is developed to incorporate the flow field into numerical simulation of particle trajectories from which the fraction of deposition is determined. Several divergent channels (half divergent angles of 0°, 7.5°, 10° …

Performance Optimization Of Very High Frame Rate Ccd Burst-Image Sensors, Zeynep M. Pektas

Dissertations

The primary objective of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of an image sensor that is capable of capturing images at 10⁷ frames per second. Such high frame rate operation is based on storage of a certain (N) number of frames into the BCCD memory registers and readout at a slower rate at the end of the frame collection period. To accommodate an optical frame time of 100ns, a high-speed virtual-gate photodetector with six multiple n-type implants was proposed and a novel design strategy was developed. The feasibility of this design was demonstrated by simulating the entire photodetector …

Multi-Wavelength Infrared Imaging Computer Systems And Applications, Jun Li

Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of three computer systems for multi-wavelength thermal imaging.

Two computer systems were developed for the multi-wavelength imaging pyrometers (M-WIPs) that yield non-contact temperature measurements by remotely sensing the surface of objects with unknown wavelength-dependent emissivity. These M-WIP computer systems represent the state-of-art development in remote temperature measurement system based on the multi-wavelength approach. The dissertation research includes M-WIP computer system integration, software development, performance evaluation, and also applications in monitoring and control of temperature distribution of silicon wafers in a rapid thermal process system.

The two M-WIPs are capable of data acquisition, signal processing, system …

Sampling And Analysis Of Trace Level Volatile Organic Compounds From Air Via Membrane Permeation, Naihong Zhu

Dissertations

The objective of this study is to develop air sampling techniques using membrane permeation. Two novel techniques for sampling and analysis of trace level VOCs from air via membrane permeation are presented:

1. selective concentration of VOCs into a canister using a membrane permeator;
2. on-line membrane extraction for direct introduction of VOCs from air emissions into a gas chromatograph.

In the membrane permeator-canister sampling system (MPCS), the air sample containing trace level VOCs as well as some interferences such as moisture are passed through the membrane module. Polydimethyl siloxane membrane used in this research is highly permeable to organic compounds, but …

The Fatigue Problems Of Cracks Subjected To Obliquely Incident Stress Waves, I-Chung Weng

Dissertations

Catastrophic failure of aircraft and other structures are often caused by undetected cracks. Fracture mechanics has been developed to augment traditional static and fatigue design. In the static theory of fracture mechanics, extensive treatment has been given to the stress distribution around sharp cracks and notches under various loading conditions. Previous works on the problems of dynamic loadings are not accurate in dealing with singularities at high frequencies. The numerical solutions become unrealistic at high frequencies in many practical applications.

To address the need to obtain the stress intensity factor in high frequency dynamic loading situations, we studied the use …

Caroline Bartlett Crane And Progressive Era Reform: A Socio-Historical Analysis Of Ideology In Action, Linda J. Rynbrandt

Dissertations

This dissertation is a sociohistorical analysis of women and social reform in the Progressive Era. Until recently, the role of women has been virtually invisible in accounts of Progressive social reform. While this is no longer the case, considerable questions remain. Using the archival records of one woman, Caroline Bartlett Crane (1858-1935), which document her professional, intellectual and personal life, I describe her contribution to social reform and early sociology. I analyze how her life and work reveals a greater understanding of current feminist debates and other social, historical and political questions.