Digital Commons Network^™

Flexible Electrical And Software Programmable Transceivers For Wireless Communications (Feast Ii), Mike Ellinger, James Etters, Eric Juntunen

Honors Theses

Flexible Electrical and Software Programmable Transceivers (FEAST) is a project aimed at advancing both research and educational opportunities in wireless communications. The development of high speed analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters has enabled the modulation/demodulation of communications signals via real-time data processing. These "software radios" will allow greater flexibility in the reception and transmission of wireless signals. The FEAST wireless transceiver is such a system consisting of analog RF signal down converters and upconverters, high speed analog-to-digital and digital-toanalog converters, hardware digital signal processing IC's and real time software signal processing.

Phase II of the project (FEASTII) project focuses is on …

Concepts Of Despair In Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, James Alan Finney

Honors Theses

This paper explores the concept of despair in Walker Percy's 1962 National Book Award winning novel The Moviegoer. It explores the philosophy of Kierkegaard's The Sickness unto Death as an important antecedent of the novel's portrayal of Binx Bolling's existential crisis. Additionally, the paper discusses Walker Percy's own thought about the devaluation of subjective experience in a modem scienctific world. Using these concepts as a vocabulary, the paper performs a reading of the text of the novel. The text asserts that the reader's own valuation of God and objectivity determine the possiblity or nonpossibility of Binx 's salvation by faith.

Hadivadlo In Chattanooga : A Critical Assessment Of The Process Of Producing School For Fools, Ben Williams

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to create an experimental theatre production called School for Fools in the Studio Theatre of the UTC Fine Arts Center in February of 2003. Spanning nearly an entire year, the process for me was one of compiling a dramaturg's notebook ofresearch and materials related to the play, adapting and revising the text from the original, written by Belgian playwright Michel de Ghelderode in 1937, creating costume and set designs, appropriating a cast, raising funds for the production, and then directing the play. Particularly important to this production was the idea of style. In essence, …

The Ethics Of Service : A New Approach To Service Learning, Jonathan C. Zur

Honors Theses

The new model of service presented in this paper gives a framework for considering the possibilities for ethically grounded service. It does not solve al I of the problems with competing interests or tradeoffs in wellbeing, but is a solid foundation upon which many important discussions can be based. By examining the continuum of self-interest, the discussion of intent, preparedness, and outcome, and consideration for mandatory service, the paper has offered a comprehensive assessment of the ethics of service. The four parties - the volunteer, the client, the university, and the service site - have particular responsibilities to their own …

Flanking Sequences Modulate Diepoxide Cross-Linking Efficiencies At The 5'-Gnc Sste, Gregory A. Sawyer

Honors Theses

Diepoxybutane, diepoxyoctane, and mechlorethamine are cytotoxic DNA crosslinking agents that vary in their carcinogenic versus chemotherapeutic potentials. Interstrand cross-linking occurs between the N7 positions of deoxyguanosine residues on opposite strands of the DNA duplex. Each synthetic DNA oligomer used in this study contained four 5'-N\GN2CN3 sites (within a 32 base sequence) and we have systematically varied the bases in the N1 and N2 positions to determine the resulting cross-linking efficiencies of each cytotoxic agent. Each duplex was 5' -end labeled and incubated with cross-linking agent. Interstrand cross-links were purified through denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then subjected to piperidine cleavage. …

Synthesis Of Montiporynes A And B, Traci Jenelle Speed

Honors Theses

This thesis reports the first complete synthesis of monriporynes A and B. isomeric diacetylenes that bear α, β unsaturated ketone functionalities. Recently isolated from the stony coral Montipora sp. these compounds are reported to possess in vitro cytotoxic activity against several human solid tumor cells. We have synthesized both isomers in three simple steps. In the first step, l-iodononyne was prepared by reacting 1-nonyne with N-iodosuccinimide and a catalytic amount of silver nitrate. This iodoalkyne was then coupled with propargyl alcohol using copper iodide as the catalyst to give 2,4dodecadiynyl alcohol. Finally, the diacetylenic alcohol was subjected to the Swern …

Quantitative Analysis Of Diepoxybutane Damage Within The Chicken Β-Globin Domain, André M. Pilon

Honors Theses

In industrial polymer and synthetic rubber production facilities, workers are exposed to 1,3-butadiene. This compound is converted in vivo to 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB) and has been linked to increased incidences of cancer in these individuals. Carcinogenesis has been attributed to formation of DEB induced DNA interstrand cross-links. Previous studies have demonstrated that DEB cross-links deoxyguanosine residues within 5'-GNC sequences in synthetic DNA, in restriction fragments, and in defined sequence nucleosomes. The current study utilized the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine DEB damage frequencies within nuclear genes, found within "open" regions of chromatin, as compared to regions of unexpressed sequence that …

Sedimentological And Plant Taphonomic Evaluation Of The Early Middle Devonian Trout Valley Formation, Jonathan Allen

Honors Theses

The Trout Valley Formation of Emsian-Eifelian age, outcropped in Baxter State Park, Maine, consists offluvial and coastal deposits preserving early land plants. Massive, crudely bedded conglomerate represents deposits of proximal braided channels on an alluvial fan complex. Lithic sandstone bodies in channel-form geometries represent deposits of river channels draining the Acadian highlands whereas associated siltstones represent overbank deposits, intertidal flats, and tidal channels. Localized lenticular quartz arenites represent nearshore shelf bar deposits that were storm influenced. The majority of plant assemblages preserved mainly in siltstone lithologies are allochthonous and parautochthonous, with only one autochthonous assemblage identified in the sequence. Plant …

Double Stranded Dna-Binding Studies Of Potential Rhodium(Ll) Antitumor Complexes, Amity Elizabeth Burr

Honors Theses

In 1952, Dwyer and coworkers began testing a series of metal complexes for potential inhibition of cancer cell proliferation in animals.[l] The complexes tested were unsuitable for such studies due to their high toxicity. Therefore, no further work was done on the project. However, in 1965, Rosenberg and coworkers revisited the possibility of potential metal-based drugs. Serendipitously, they discovered that cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(lI) (cisplatin) inhibits cell division in E. coli.[2] Further studies of this and other platinum compounds revealed inhibition of tumor cell lines sarcoma 180 and leukemia LI2l0 in mice.[l] Cisplatin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1970 …

Diversity And Community Structure Of Littoral Zone Macroinvertebrates In Southern Illinois Reclaimed Surface Mine Lakes, Thomas Heatherly Ii

Honors Theses

I sampled fourteen reclaimed surface mine lakes within the Sparta Illinois National Guard training facility for benthic macroinvertebrates in spring of 2003 as part of an overall environmental assessment of the property. The objectives of this research were: (1) to inventory the aquatic macroinvertebrates present; (2) to evaluate the current quality of the aquatic habitats so that the effects of subsequent management and development by the National Guard can be assessed; (3) examine which factors influence invertebrate community structure in these systems; and (4) observe the applicability of several commonly used stream bioassessment metrics to Midwestern surface mine lakes. A …

The Effect Of Slavery On Southern Farmland Values In The Antebellum And Postbellum Era, Brandon Devlin

Honors Theses

In the past 30 years, the legacy of African-American slavery has experienced a transformation in historical perspective. Morality aside, several historians have suggested that the accepted views regarding slavery need revision, particularly in an economic sense. Utilizing cliometrics, census records, diaries, and first-hand accounts of slavery in the South, economic historians such as Robert Fogel and Stanley Engennan have made a compelling case for the viability and profitability of slavery by exposing the nuances of the system that historical generalities often ignore. Of course, words like "viable" and ''profitable" do not necessarily mean "virtuous"or even "preferable", but it does imply …

On The Origin Of Ethics, John Ashley Kimble

Honors Theses

This essay will be an exploration of Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the implications that the theory holds for the field of ethics. It will investigate the intellectual climate of Darwin’s day and discuss how his theory was received both by his fellow scientists and by the general public. It will provide a brief background of Darwin’s life leading up to his famous voyage aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, as well as relevant biographical details from his later life. It will provide a brief history of the gene and the science of genetics and how this science has changed Darwin’s …

Synthesis Of Polymer Nanofibers Through Emulsion Polymerization, James Douglas Hankins

Honors Theses

Emulsion polymerization has been used for decades to synthesize polymer latexes for both industry and academia, and theory suggests that the process may also be useful in the detailed study of individual polymer chains or “nanofibers”. To date, however, no successful attempts have been made to use emulsion polymerization in such a manner. Therefore, this work seeks to gather information about polymer nanofibers formed through emulsion polymerization and, as a result, incite its use for similar research in the future. Emulsion polymerization was used to create numerous polystyrene solutions with varying concentrations of cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate (surfactant) and sodium chloride (salt). …

Doing All You Can, Brother?': Visual Themes Of World War Ii American Propaganda Posters, Justin Rives Nicholas

Honors Theses

This thesis is a result of an in-depth analysis of the three thousand plus propaganda posters used in the United States during World War II. The bulk of these posters are housed at National Archives II in College Park, Maryland. The analysis was conducted within the context of several questions. What were the goals of the propagandists? How were those goals visually represented in the posters? What were the visual themes? Why were these goals and themes deemed necessary? How do the goals and themes fit into the overall context of a total war? The concept of being in a …

The Uk And The Emu: An Economic Examination Of The United Kingdom As A Relevant Factor Of Success For Europe To Achieve Economic And Monetary Union, John Gabriel Roberts

Honors Theses

Currently the United Kingdom is not participating in the European Monetary Union. In 1992, it decided to “opt-out” of the first of three stages set out in the Maatricht Treaty that some European countries began implementing in an attempt to move the continent closer to monetary union. The people of the United Kingdom will have the chance, in 2003, to decide the United Kingdom’s role in the EMU eleven years after it first deferred its membership. If this upcoming decision were to be made on an economic basis, the degree of integration between the United Kingdom’s economy with the EMU …

Implementation Of Sap's Campus Management At The University Of Mississippi, Kimberly Nicole Weston

Honors Theses

The objective of this project was to analyze the undergraduate admissions process at the University of Mississippi before and after the implementation of SAP’s student information system known as Campus Management. Areas of focus include the following: l Whether any improvements were achieved in terms of efficiency such as time to process a typical admissions application l Whether any improvements were achieved in terms of customer service l The usability of the web application l Impact on related processes such as account generation l Positive and negative impact to university offices l Potential areas for future work These areas and …

Effect Of Competitive Balance On Single Game Attendance In Major League Baseball, Thomas V. Richardson

Honors Theses

Many studies have looked at competitive balance in sports. A majority of the competitive balance studies have looked at panel data sets covering multiple years, however. Many of these studies have looked at the distribution of winning percentages within a league over multiple seasons, looking to see if different teams have an ability to rise to the top of the league, or if the same teams always win (Balfour and Porter 1991; Butler 1995; Quirk and Fall 1997). Schmidt and Bern (2001) use the Gini coefficient to measure competitive balance for baseball seasons since 1900. This measure of competitive balance, …

Application Of The Chan-Evans Diaryl Ether Synthesis To The Formation Of Bis(Bibenzyls), Eric Rosenthal

Honors Theses

Alkene (6) was produced in three steps from 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde (8), and 3-bromobenzyl bromide (10). A variety of strategies were employed to synthesize the desired boronic acid (13), but as of this time none have been successful. The synthesis of this boronic acid is necessary to study the feasibility of applying the Chan-Evans copper mediated formation of diaryl ethers to a bis(bibenzyl) synthesis. In seeking to exploit the advantages of the Chan-Evans ether synthesis over the Ullman ether synthesis, we have encountered some of the associated difficulties. The utilization of an arylboronic acid to produce a diaryl ether first requires the …

Candy Apples And Other Tales Of Entropy, Brent Hayes Bonds

Honors Theses

The following is a creative thesis. Comprised of six short stories, the work is bound by the aim of each story to convey that awareness is hardly ever a moment of triumph, but the acknowledgment and acceptance of all the imperfections and the unknowns that exist in our world. Chief among the themes of these stories is the idea of entropy, that is, the natural tendency of all things to progress from a state of order to one of disorder. While the majority of these stories embrace these ideals through the use of the same characters, though, at various points …

Romantic Characters In Modern Fiction, Kate Chadwell Galbreath

Honors Theses

This thesis will deal with the breakdown of Romanticism as it occurred through certain characters within Modem Fiction. The selected texts for this study include Tess of the D 'Urhervilles by Thomas Hardy, Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Each text is a novel of the Modem period whose title character possesses the qualities typical of the Romantic Movement in literature. The texts span a time period of thirty-five years; their publication dates extend from 1890 to 1925 in the order listed above. …

Strong Black Woman: An Examination Of Cultural Images Of Black Women, Tamika Renee Montgomery

Honors Theses

Through literary works and life experiences and in an effort to dispel negative images, an unrealistic image of a strong black woman has been presented to society. As a black woman surrounded by black women who have attempted to personify this superwoman image, and more importantly as a black woman who has been encouraged to adopt this image, I have done research to discover if this woman truly exists. I have read a number of literary works that span over the entire twentieth century, examined cultural and psychological studies relevant to the black woman. I also did research on the …

How The Song Goes: Southern Society Singing The Dual Lives Of Women, Amy R. Roebuck

Honors Theses

This work explores the lives of black and white Southern women, focusing on their role in Southern society as mothers. It covers a variety of Southern literature from var>'ing time periods concerning women of different races and social classes. In each of the works, I have found that maternal characteristics bring women together with an opportunity to bridge gaps between the races, thus allowing motherhood the pov/er to blend cultures. This work is divided into three sections. The first section is an introduction into the lives of women as mothers. It explores the joys and pains of motherhood, and …

The Saint And Judith Female Conventions In Ouida's Held In Bondage, Strathmore, Friendship, And Moths, Hannah Lacey Bryant

Honors Theses

The following work analyzes the usage Victorian conventions of the saint and Judith figures in Ouida’s female characters in her novels Held in Bondage, Strathmore, Friendship, and Moths. These eight characters are closely related to the stereot3(^ical representations of women in society during the time Ouida wrote; however, as Ouida became more experienced and acquainted with society, her usage of the conventions altered toward realistic rather than representative women. Of the saint figures, only one female, Vere of Moths, escapes from all stereotypes. The remaining three Alma of Held in Bondage, Lucille of Strathmore, and Etoile of Friendship definitive models …

Cultural Imposition Or Cross-Cultural Communication: An Auto-Ethnographic Exploration Of Christian Missionary Rhetorics, Marian Draffin

Honors Theses

This project is a tropological and visual exploration of the rhetorics of Christian missionary culture written in an auto-ethnographic mode. The texts explored include a sample of recruitment brochures produced by mission's organizations, recorded accounts of those who were affected by missions, either as a missionary or as a member of the respondent culture, and journals and photographic images from my own short term missionary work. This exploration is driven by my curiosity about the power dynamics of Christian missionary work: Is the work of a Christian missionary culture a type of cultural imposition and domination? Can Christian missionary work …

Fecal Coliforms And Antibiotic Resistance Of Tuckahoe Creek, Catherine C. Parker

Honors Theses

The Tuckahoe Creek has been classified impaired by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) indicating that one of the following parameters exceed the accepted limits: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), phosphates, nitrates, and concentration of fecal coliforms. Throughout the course of this study, two selected sites have been monitored monthly in order to measure these parameters. Route 288 is located near a construction site, and Route 621 is near Sycamore Creek Golf Course in a more rural area. The results from this study have shown that the fecal coliforms have been uniformly within the set legal limit of 1,000 …

A Blueprint For Environmental Sustainability Along The James River, Trevor S. Macdougall

Honors Theses

The paper is the result of a research project conducted through the University of Richmond, the desired end of which is to produce a Blueprint for Environmental Sustainability Along the James River, a document that provides guidelines for managing the urban riverfront in a sustainable fashion.

The first chapter is designed to outline the layout of this report. The subsequent literature review is divided into four chapters: The Ecological Model, An Overview of Sustainability, Sustainable Practices in Other Cities, and Richmond Development: Past and Present. The first pair of these chapters provide a general assessment of two important environmental paradigms, …

Hyperprolactinemia, Dannielle Braund

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Poisonous Plants Of Tennessee, Erica Fritz

Honors Theses

Many poisonous plants occur within Tennessee. These plants may have an evolutionary advantage over competing plants because of the presence of toxic secondary compounds. Consequently, plant species containing poisons may occur more frequently in advanced families than in primitive families. A list was compiled of those plants that occur in Tennessee that are known to be poisonous and these numbers were compared with the total number of species within both advanced and primitive families. Tennessee poisonous plants occur in higher percentages in those families that are primitive and moderately advanced than in those that are advanced.

Don't Worry... It [Corn] Won't Kill You: The Starlink Crisis, Kelly J. Price

Honors Theses

What would you do ... if someone told you that the food you just ate was not safe for human consumption? In 1999, consumers across the nation were faced with this fear and began to second-guess the food they had been accustomed to eating for years. After Kraft Foods' Taco Bell taco shells were recalled in September for containing traces of StarLink corn, a genetically modified corn hybrid not approved for human consumption, consumer confidence in U.S. corn by-products decreased and manufacturer credibility dwindled (Aventis stops, 2000). People wanted to know who to blame for the apparent food contamination problem. …

Deformational Features In The Chattanooga Shale, Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Dewayne Adarial Ponds

Honors Theses

Several exposures of deformed middle Paleozoic rocks in the westernmost Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province, near Chattanooga, TN, reveal a variety of structures. These include centimeter-scale ellipsoidal to lensshaped masses of sandstone in the Mississippian to Devonian Chattanooga Shale. Fissility in the carbonaceous shale is intensified adjacent to these lenses and conforms to their biconvex shapes. Slickensides on rinds of highly polished shale trend northwest. The walnut- to fist-size masses are composed of fine- to medium-grained ferruginous quartz sandstone. Thin-section study reveals that the quartz grains retain detrital characteristics, but that many are broken and displaced; cataclastic deformation is particularly …