Digital Commons Network^™

Medium Access Control Mechanisms For High Speed Metropolitan Area Networks, Michail Papamichail

Dissertations

In this dissertation novel Medium Access Control mechanisms for High Speed Metropolitan Area networks are proposed and their performance is investigated under the presence of single and multiple priority classes of traffic. The proposed mechanisms are based on the Distributed Queue Dual Bus network, which has been adopted by the IEEE standardization committee as the 802.6 standard for Metropolitan Area Networks, and address most of its performance limitations. First, the Rotating Slot Generator scheme is introduced which uses the looped bus architecture that has been proposed for the 802.6 network. According to this scheme the responsibility for generating slots moves …

On Generalized Adaptive Neural Filter, Zhiqiang Zhang

Dissertations

Linear filters have historically been used in the past as the most useful tools for suppressing noise in signal processing. It has been shown that the optimal filter which minimizes the mean square error (MSE) between the filter output and the desired output is a linear filter provided that the noise is additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). However, in most signal processing applications, the noise in the channel through which a signal is transmitted is not AWGN; it is not stationary, and it may have unknown characteristics.

To overcome the shortcomings of linear filters, nonlinear filters ranging from the median …

Statistical, Random And Fractal Characterizations Of Surface Topography With Engineering Applications, Gongyao Zhou

Dissertations

Two methods, namely the conventional and fractal geometry methods, are developed for surface topography characterization. The conventional method utilizing statistical and random process techniques is used to study waterjet machined surfaces. In the study the waterjet surfaces are separated into smooth and striation zones, where striation influence is negligible in the smooth zone. It is found that the smooth zone has a random, moderately isotropic texture, with the height distribution nearly Gaussian. In the striation zone the major frequencies of the surface profile power spectra are independent of cutting parameters, while the amplitudes of these frequencies monotonically increase with cutting …

Computer-Based Fluency Training With The Terminology Of Behavior Analysis, Guillermo E. Yaber-Oltra

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of computer-based fluency training on the learning of behavior-analysis terminology. Sixty-nine undergraduates studied the definitions of half a set of behavior-analysis terms using a computer program Think Fast (Parsons, 1989), and half using their regular methods. Think Fast training items consisted of typing the words missing from definitions. On seven out of nine post-training quizzes, students were better able to define terms previously studied with the computer program. In a related experiment, volunteers studied half a new set of terms using the computer, either typing or saying the answers. Students mastered the definitions better when …

A Psychoanalytic And Archetypal Examination Of Two Seminal Dreams And Visions Of Ellen G. White, Dennis E. Waite

Dissertations

This study is a psychological examination of the earliest dreams and visions of Ellen G. Harmon (more commonly known by her married name Ellen G. White), a 19th century prophetess and founding leader of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The following two questions were addressed: (1) What effects did Mrs. White’s dreams and visions have upon her resolution of childhood emotional or developmental conflicts? and (2) In what way do Mrs. White’s early religious experiences clarify the role of religious experience in individual psychological and emotional development?

Two dreams and two visions were selected for analysis by two methods of dream …

A Status Study Of Formal Evaluation Procedures Employed By Michigan Philanthropic Foundations, John R. Seita

Dissertations

Little is known about the degree that philanthropic foundations use formal evaluation. This study investigated and described how Michigan based foundations of different sizes and types use formal evaluation for decision making regarding the (a) funding of grant proposals and (b) determining the performance of existing projects. Further, the study provides a description of current evaluation practice and capacity in foundations and plans that foundations have for increasing the evaluation capacity for themselves and of nonprofit grantees.

This study was conducted by mail questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher. A total of 134 questionnaires out of 226 mailed were …

The Job Search Process In Michigan 1990-1991, Zhuoyan Gu

Dissertations

Two statewide general public surveys of non-retired adults conducted in March of 1990 and 1991 were analyzed to examine patterns of job search activity. Primary attention was placed on the 1991 survey. The core questions asked were about preferences for future job search media in terms of the respondents' past job seeking experiences . The general pattern observed was a movement away from the public state employment service towards "informal" contacts. There were, however, important differences in terms of the respondents' age, sex, education, occupation, and prior employment experiences.

Spanish Translation And Validation Of The Daily Stress Inventory, And A Comparison Of The Level Of Stress Experienced By Three Culturally Distinct Hispanic Groups, Senez Rodriguez-Charbonier

Dissertations

High levels of stress in the general population have been found to correlate both with psychological and physical illness. The fast growing Hispanic population in the U.S. is exposed to increased levels of stress associated with a number of situations (e.g., language barriers, and socioeconomic status). There are, however, no validated stress measures applicable to the Hispanic community as a whole.

The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to translate into Spanish the Daily Stress Inventory (DSI) (Brantley & Jones, 1989) and to validate the translation by conducting a correlation study between the the Spanish and the English versions. …

The Use Of Nonhuman Subjects In Behavior Analysis: A Review Of Jeab Studies, Dylan David Schmorrow

Dissertations

This study examined the use of nonhuman subjects in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and the level of invasiveness of those studies. The invasiveness level of each study was determined according to the Shapiro and Field (1987) invasiveness rating scale. All studies published from 1958 through 1992 were considered. In addition to rating the individual studies with the invasiveness scale, data were collected concerning the species of the subjects and their number, whether anaesthesia, analgesia, drugs or toxic agents were used, whether surgery took place, levels of deprivation, and if the subjects died.

The findings from this …

The Impact Of Third Party Reimbursement On Occupational Therapy And Vision Rehabilitation Services: A Comparative Case Study, Tiehan Liu

Dissertations

This is a comparative case study of occupational therapy and vision rehabilitation services. The purpose of this study is to describe how environmental forces, especially third party reimbursement, shape occupational therapy in terms of organizational form, setting, procedure of services and documentation process. The study will further examine the current external and internal conditions under which vision rehabilitation professionals may develop third party payment, especially Medicare and Medicaid. Based on environment theories and the experience of occupational therapy, the potential impact of such reimbursement on vision rehabilitation services is discussed.

Three forms of data were used in this study: (1) …

Family Birth Order And Leadership Behavior Of Public School Principals In Michigan, Larry J. Corbett

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership behavior patterns of principals of public schools in Michigan as related to family birth order. The 341 elementary, middle, and high school principals chosen in this study were surveyed with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire elicited responses from the principals to attempt to relate family birth order with concern for production and concern for people. Ninety percent of all potential subjects participated in the survey. The survey responses were applied to the Leadership Grid ® (Blake & McCanse, 1991) for comparison.

The t test for independent means was used to …

Rating Intervention Strategies For Overcoming Impediments To Planned Change By Michigan Public School Administrators, Dale Kimball

Dissertations

In this study, Michigan public school principals reported their perceptions regarding differences in the degree to which nine intervention strategies helped to overcome 10 impediments to change that are often encountered by principals. The intervention strategies and impediments to change used in this study were chosen as a result of a content analysis of literature on change.

A two-part pilot study was conducted. In part one, principals were asked for comments regarding the effectiveness of the letter of introduction, clarity of instructions and questionnaire items, and ease and time of completion. In part two, information was gathered to determine whether …

The Effects Of Two Motivational Factors On Accuracy And Persistence For Second Graders, Jesse D. Baker

Dissertations

Promoting and maintaining motivation in elementary students is an ongoing problem. This study hypothesized that (a) feedback has a greater motivational effect on persistence and on accuracy for second graders than does no feedback, and (b) knowledge of results feedback has a greater motivational effect than does pleasant feeling tone feedback. Evidence from the study showed mixed support for the hypotheses.

The study compared two forms of feedback and the absence of feedback. One group received praise in the form of general, positive statements—classified as feeling tone—about their work while completing mathematics computational portions of the second grade 1989 Stanford …

Caring For Dementing And Nondementing Chronically Ill Elderly In Belgium: Modeling Salutogenic And Pathogenic Processes, Timothy John Gallagher

Dissertations

The predominant model in the study of stress and disease has been identified as the pathogenic orientation. The underlying assumption of this orientation is that stress is, by nature, disease causing. An alternative model is the salutogenic orientation (Antonovsky, 1979). Researchers using the salutogenic approach are concerned with explaining the origins of health. In the present study, a sample of Flemish caregivers {N = 126) to persons with chronic dementing and nondementing disorders is examined in order to detail how sense of coherence (a measure of personality disposition), the nature of patient pathology, demographic characteristics, coping resources, and perceived negative …

The Identification And Validation Of Sociopsycholinguistic Strategies For Integrating Reading And Writing At The Postsecondary Level, Gail L. Landberg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify a common set of strategies as determined by two panels of experts (practitioners and theorists), which reflected a sociopsycholinguistic teaching model integrating reading and writing processes on the postsecondary level.

At the present time approximately 30% of the students entering college have some type of skill need, and tertiary institutions have been compelled to admit this type of developmental student to survive financially. Higher education has responded to this crisis by providing developmental programs to assist students in improving their basic skills.

Despite the fact that recent educational research on language acquisition …

Constitutive Equation For Concrete Using Strain-Space Plasticity Model, Yuxiang Xing

Dissertations

Plasticity theory has been used to model the concrete constitutive relationship for about two decades. With the modifications and refinement based on experimental data, achievement has been made in these plasticity models for concrete. Almost all the existing models are developed in stress space. With a lot of experimental data and more understanding about stress states of concrete, the stress-space model shows many advantages. Because of this and also due to conventional engineering practice, the stress-space plasticity approach has been in the dominant position. However, the conventional stress-space plasticity method has one inherent drawback in which it cannot deal with …

On Orthogonal Collocation Solutions Of Partial Differential Equations, Herli Surjanhata

Dissertations

In contrast to the h-version most frequently used, a p-version of the Orthogonal Collocation Method as applied to differential equations in two-dimensional domains is examined. For superior accuracy and convergence, the collocation points are chosen to be the zeros of a Legendre polynomial plus the two endpoints. Hence the method is called the Legendre Collocation Method. The approximate solution in an element is written as a Lagrange interpolation polynomial. This form of the approximate solution makes it possible to fully automate the method on a personal computer using conventional memory.

The Legendre Collocation Method provides a formula for …

Minimum Redundancy Array Structure For Interference Cancellation, Wan-Ling Chen

Dissertations

Adaptive antenna arrays are widely used in many advanced radar, sonar, and communication systems because of their effectiveness in cancelling intentional or unintentional interferers. A uniformly spaced linear array, referred to as a Uniform Regular Array (URA), is the usual structure used for interference cancellation. The Minimum Redundancy Array (MRA) structure proposed in this work is a special kind of thinned array whose application was limited in the past to direction finding. MRAs with the same number of array elements can resolve directions of much more closely spaced signals than URAs.

The URA structure is customarily utilized for interference cancellation, …

Tensile Behavior Of Concrete And Mortar Under Direct Impact Tensile Load, Kayumars Emad

Dissertations

Structures are often subjected to impact loadings during their lifetime. Most structural specifications including the special provisions for seismic design in the current ACI building codes, have been developed on the basis of quasi-static assumptions. Cement composites are strain rate sensitive materials therefore, their properties determined under quasi-static condition should not be used to predict their performance under high strain rates.

The objectives of this investigation are:

• to develop a standard test set-up for direct tensile testing of cementitious composites.
• to study the tensile behavior of mortar and concrete under direct impact tensile load.
• to develop a simplified formula to …

Algorithms For Generation Of Path-Methods In Object-Oriented Databases, Ashish Mehta

Dissertations

A path-method is a mechanism in object-oriented databases (OODBs) to retrieve or to update information relevant to one class that is not stored with that class but with some other class. A path-method is a method which traverses from one class through a chain of connections between classes to access information at another class. However, it is a difficult task for a user to write path-methods, because it might require comprehensive knowledge of many classes of the conceptual schema, while a typical user has often incomplete or even inconsistent knowledge of the schema.

This dissertation proposes an approach to the …

Dmodel And Dalgebra : A Data Model And Algebra For Office Documents, Fortune Solani Mhlanga

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a data model (called D_model) and an algebra (called D_ algebra) for office documents. The data model adopts a very natural view of modeling office documents. Documents are grouped into classes; each class is characterized by a "frame template", which describes the properties (or attributes) for the class of documents. A frame template is instantiated by providing it with values to form a "frame instance" which becomes the synopsis of the document of the class associated with the frame template. Different frame instances can be grouped into a folder. Therefore, a folder is a set of frame …

Characterization Of Advanced Etching Reactors Using Novel Diagnostic Tools, Vipulkumar Patel

Dissertations

Plasma etching equipment used for sub-micron integrated circuit fabrication at present are exclusively based on 13.56 MHz, capacitively coupled, parallel-plate geometry. The underlying mechanisms of plasma processes in these reactors are not well understood and there is even less understanding of how the etch-tool parameters relate to the plasma discharge characteristics which actually determine the etch process. In this thesis, new diagnostic techniques were applied for the characterization and optimization of plasma etching processes in various reactor configurations.

Specifically, diode and triode configurations were studied extensively using tuned scanning Langmuir probes. Both radial and axial distributions of plasma density were …

Kinetic Study Of Decomposition Of Azo Dyes And Phenol In Advanced Oxidation Processes Reaction Mechanisms, Pathways And Intermediates, Hung-Yee Shu

Dissertations

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) are an emerging technology for treatment of various hazardous organics in wastewater and groundwater. However, the kinetics and mechanisms for AOP have not been well understood. A mechanism including light intensity was studied for the decomposition of azo dyes and phenol in an AOP reactor with a 5,000 watt low pressure mercury lamp. UV light absorption is an important parameter. The effect of pH, hydrogen peroxide dosage, and dye concentration on the decomposition of azo dyes in an H₂O₂/UV reactor were also studied. Reaction pathways and intermediates of phenol oxidation by different …

Unreinforced Masonry Structures : Nonlinear Analysis And Evaluation Of Some Rehab Schemes, Sanjay Mehta

Dissertations

Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures have been a common type of construction in the past and are still used in regions of low seismicity. Retrofitting of these structures is necessary because of two reasons: Firstly, observed damage after earthquakes reveals that URM construction is one of the most hazardous constructions even in the region of low seismicity; secondly, reclassification of seismic zones would require retrofitting of existing structures to comply with new guidelines for earthquake design.

Retrofitting measures require that the response of original and new structural systems as well as their interaction be considered. It is therefore important to correctly …

Megsdf Mega-System Development Framework, Tamar Zemel

Dissertations

A framework for developing large, complex software systems, called Mega-Systems, is specified. The framework incorporates engineering, managerial, and technological aspects of development, concentrating on an engineering process. MegSDF proposes developing Mega-Systems as open distributed systems, pre-planned to be integrated with other systems, and designed for change.

At the management level, MegSDF divides the development of a Mega-System into multiple coordinated projects, distinguishing between a meta-management for the whole development effort, responsible for long-term, global objectives, and local managements for the smaller projects, responsible for local, temporary objectives.

At the engineering level, MegSDF defines a process model which specifies the tasks …

Utilization Of Fly Ash In Concrete, Chai Jaturapitakkul

Dissertations

Fly ash, a by-product of coal burning power plants, is produced in large quantities each year. It is commonly known that fly ash possesses pozzolanic behavior which can enhance the properties of concrete. Due to a lack of proper understanding on the formation of fly ash and its performance in concrete, the question of quality assurance has frequently been a major concern of engineers using fly ash in their construction projects. As a result, much fly ash is disposed of as waste material in landfills. Recent environmental concerns and a shortage of landfill space have rapidly escalated the disposal cost …

Competition Between Two Microbial Populations In A Sequencing Fed-Batch Reactor And Its Implications For Waste Treatment Applications, Sitaram Dikshitulu

Dissertations

Pure and simple competition between two microbial populations in a sequencing fed-batch reactor (SFBR) was studied both at the theoretical and experimental level. Competition occurred for a single chemical pollutant which could serve as the sole carbon and energy source for both competitors. A mathematical model describing the process under inhibitory kinetics (as is usually the case with hazardous and toxic substances) was derived and theoretically analyzed. The model predicts that the dynamics of a SFBR, and the kinetics of biodegradation, result in a complex set of operating regimes in which neither species, only one species, or both species survive …

From Untrained Nurses Toward Professional Preparation In Montana, 1912-1987, A. Gretchen Mcneely Dnsc, Msn, Rnc

Dissertations

Since the American Nurses' Association (ANA) published its first position paper in 1965 and in 1978 reaffirmed its position on the educational preparation for nursing practice at the ANA National Biennium, the Montana Nurses' Association (MNA) has maintained a consistent position that a minimum of the baccalaureate degree in nursing should be required for licensure as a professional nurse. As of the closure of the 1987 session, the MNA had not yet been able to secure legislation for this requirement. The influence of the Montana Nurses' Association on the legislative process regarding the regulatory efforts of the profession from 1912 …

The Impact Of Test Sophistication On Tenth Grade Students’ Michigan Educational Assessment Program (Meap) Scores, Iris Williams

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether test sophistication training would result in more tenth grade students achieving performance levels on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) subtests in mathematics and reading which would entitle them to receive the state endorsed diploma.

Two groups of English II students (grade 10) from the same school participated in the study. One group received test sophistication instruction, and the other received no treatment. During the test sophistication training, students were instructed using the Ace That Test Preparation for Success Student Guide (Yarosz & Yarosz, 1991a) which was based on the …

Comparison Study Of The Implementation Rate Of Eighteen Middle School Characteristics In Michigan And National Blue Ribbon Schools, Gregg G. Mowen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the current amount of Implementation of the 18 middle school characteristics as reported by principals from randomly selected middle level schools In the state of Michigan and In middle level schools designated as Blue Ribbon schools (U.S. Department of Education, 1991). This study used a survey questionnaire that was initially designed by RIegle (1971) to measure the rate of Implementation of the middle school characteristics. The survey was mailed to Michigan and Blue Ribbon middle level school principals, selected randomly via a table of random numbers. The return rate for Michigan schools …