Digital Commons Network^™

Quench The Thirst: A Content Analysis Of The Persuasive Techniques Of Unicef's Tap Project, Rachel Chadalavada

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the persuasive techniques utilized by UNICEF's Tap Project. This water related campaign began in 2007 and since then has created four themes. These themes are: Dine out, Celebrity Tap, Facebook Push and Cellphone Challenge. The study finds that the videos employed by the Tap Project portray all six Facets of Effects. However, their usage was based on the message that was being delivered. That said, not all videos utilized all of the facets. This implies that an advertisement need not necessarily use all six Facets of Effects to be successful. The facet of association however, stood out …

Detective Fiction Reinvention And Didacticism In G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown, Clifford Stumme

Masters Theses

In the Father Brown stories, G. K. Chesterton reengineers the classic detective story so that it can be a vehicle for didactic messages. Through a rethinking of mysteries, a repurposing of secondary characters, and a subversion of Holmsean-type detectives, Chesterton is able to insert philosophic ideas into his stories while still entertaining readers. Differing from earlier detective stories, the Father Brown mysteries showcase an acceptance of the spiritual and a natural empathy for all characters whether criminal or no. In my research, I show how, through these stories, Chesterton posits messages that are new to the mystery genre and how …

Milton‘S Feminized Satan: A Study Of Gender Imbalance In Paradise Lost, Kari Anne Wiest

Masters Theses

Critics have observed how Satan‘s personality changes dramatically over the course of Milton‘s Paradise Lost, but what they have missed is that this transformation in his character is due to an identity crisis that spirals into a gender shift. There are no studies of Satan as feminine. Drawing upon feminist theory, I contend that it is important for readers to see Satan as a female voice in Paradise Lost and not as a positive one at that. In Milton‘s attempt to ―justify the ways of God to men‖ he, by necessity, must explain the character and purpose of Satan …

"God Made Me Thisaway": Mary Wilkins Freeman, Flannery O'Connor, And Religiosity As Challenge To Heteronormativity, Anna M. Worm

Masters Theses

The fiction of Mary Wilkins Freeman and Flannery O'Connor, especially Freeman's “A New England Nun” and “The Balsam Fir” and O'Connor's “A Temple of the Holy Ghost” and “Good Country People,” expose and challenge heteronormativity. Consideration of heteronormativity and compulsory heterosexuality, as well as religious themes demonstrates the way their works offer an avenue of challenge for characters struggling with societal forces that push them towards an unwanted or unfulfilling heterosexuality. Although Freeman's works suggest that a satisfactory life outside heterosexual norms is unrealistic, with community alienation the price for resistance, she envisions religion a valuable tool in such resistances. …

Impact Of Fracture Spacing And Mechanical Parameter Anisotropy On Fracture Width In Horizontal Wells In Shales, Deepak Gokaraju

Masters Theses

"The success of economically viable production of oil and gas from ultra-low permeability shale reservoirs depends on the creation of an extensive fracture network through hydraulic fracture stimulation. Multiple hydraulic fractures are created simultaneously in each stage to increase the surface area of contact between the wellbore and reservoir. The spacing between fractures is an important component to consider when developing an optimum stimulation design. An important aspect of shale rock properties is that shales are inherently anisotropic with a horizontal plane of isotropy (transversely isotropic) due to their finely layered structure. This study aims to provide an insight into …

Determining And Mitigating The Effects Of Firing A Linear Shaped Charge Under Water, Brian Burch

Masters Theses

"When fired under water, a Linear Shaped Charge (LSC) does not penetrate a steel target as well as in air. This lack of performance has been a problem for shaped charge manufacturers and their clients. It was obvious that this degradation of performance is due to water having a higher density than air and water being incompressible compared to air. This study aimed to better determine how the water was affecting the LSC and to provide a method of mitigation.

LSCs of different sizes were submerged under water and fired through the water with and without a target. It was …

Experimental Investigation Of The Pebble Bed Structure By Using Gamma Ray Tomography, Fadha Shakir Ahmed

Masters Theses

"Pebble Bed Reactors offer a future for new nuclear energy plants. They are small, inherently safe, and can be competitive with fossil fuels. The fuel forms a randomly stacked pebble with non-uniform fuel densities. The thermal-mechanical behavior of pebble bed reactor core is depends strongly on the spatial variation of packing fraction in the bed and in particular on the number of contacts between pebbles, and between the pebbles and the blanket walls. To investigate these effects, experimental data to characterize bed structure are needed along with other numerical simulation and computational tools for validation.

In this study, a powerful …

Islanding Technique In Power Systems To Avoid Cascading Failure, Saurabh Sahasrabuddhe

Masters Theses

"In order to increase the reliability of the power system and to make use of trapped generation potential from renewable sources due to lack of transmission availability, the interconnection of modern day power systems is increasing day by day. Lack of timely response to the ramping load and high degree of interconnection can lead to cascading failures. Upon inception, these can spread through the system within seconds and may result in a total system blackout.

Natural calamities and erroneous operations of components are often the causes of system disturbances. The type and the location of these disturbances determine it's impact …

Two Driven Pile Load Tests For Use In Missouri Lrfd Guidelines, Matthew Garry Stuckmeyer

Masters Theses

"A static pile load test program was initiated by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to evaluate the use of pile load tests in Missouri LRFD guidelines. The program's approach involves two phases to achieve the appropriate levels of reliability for driven piles in the state of Missouri. This thesis focuses on the data collection efforts of Phase 1. Two quick static pile load tests were performed to failure on test piles in the Southeast Lowlands geologic region of Missouri. The piles were dynamically monitored during installation and subsequent restrike tests performed. The results of the static and dynamic pile …

Studies Of Influencing Factors For Shale Gas Reservoir Performance, Jiaqi Wang

Masters Theses

"Shale gas resource plays a significant role in energy supply worldwide. For economic production of shale gas, technologies of horizontal well and hydraulic fracturing are used for shale gas reservoirs. Therefore, the productivity of the shale gas reservoirs will be influenced by both reservoir condition, and hydraulic fracture properties.

In this thesis, parameters that will influence shale gas production were classified into two categories: reservoir properties and hydraulic fracture properties. Published shale gas simulation studies were surveyed for determining the typical ranges of those properties. CMG-GEM was employed to finish the reservoir simulation work, and CMG-CMOST was used to complete …

Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Modeling Of Proppant Transport In A Plug-And-Perf Completion With Different Perforation Phasing, Jinlin Zhang

Masters Theses

"Perf-and-plug is a completion technique commonly used in multistage fracturing. Fracture performance modeling assumes that fluid and proppant distributes uniformly among all perforations along the length of the wellbore in a plug and perf completion Crespo et al. (2012) has conducted a limited proppant flow experiment using a 63 foot stage, and three 0.42 inch, zero phased simulated perforations. His work demonstrates proppant does not distribute evenly, but the work is limited to a single perforation scheme.

In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software has been used to simulate proppant transport and distribution in a single stage of a …

Analysis And Implementation Of Pm Sampling Methodology Protocols To Aid In The Development Of An Arp (Aerospace Recommended Practice) For Aircraft Non-Volatile Pm Measurements, Brian Lowell Catron

Masters Theses

"Due to the growing concerns that particulate matter (PM) have on health and the environment, there is a need to include mass and number non-volatile PM measurements to current jet engine certification. This thesis looks at the necessary work required to help produce recommendations and perform background research to aid in the creation of an improved Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) (by the SAE E-31 Committee). This work addressed the following issues. The investigation began in the Missouri S&T Center of Excellence for Aerospace Particulate Emissions Reduction Research (COE) laboratory with an examination of the jet engine surrogate used, the miniCAST, …

Assessment Of Contributing Factors To The Reduction Of Diarrhea In Rural Communities Of Para, Brazil, Lee Voth-Gaeddert

Masters Theses

"In developing communities the occurrence of diarrhea has been reported at elevated levels as compared to those communities in more developed regions. Diarrheal diseases were linked to over one million deaths in 2012 throughout the world. While multiple pathways are present for the transmission of diarrheal diseases, water has been the focus for many aid organizations. Point-of-use (POU) water treatment methods are a common tool used by aid organizations in efforts to provide potable water. The CAWST biosand filter is a POU tool that has shown removal effectiveness of pathogenic microorganisms ranging from 90-99%. However, minimal literature was found that …

Gold-Magnetite Nanoparticle-Biomolecule Conjugates: Synthesis, Properties And Toxicity Studies, Akshay Pariti

Masters Theses

"This thesis study focuses on synthesizing and characterizing gold-magnetite optically active magnetic nanoparticle and its conjugation with biomolecules for biomedical applications, especially magnetic fluid hyperthermia treatment for cancerous tissue. Gold nanoparticles have already displayed their potential in the biomedical field. They exhibit excellent optical properties and possess strong surface chemistry which renders them suitable for various biomolecule attachments. Studies have showed gold nanoparticles to be a perfect biocompatible vector. However, clinical trials for gold mediated drug delivery and treatment studied in rat models identified some problems. Of these problems, the low retention time in bloodstream and inability to maneuver externally …

Shielding Effectiveness (Se) Measurement For Maxair Waveguide Panel, Lossy Material Evaluation By Laptop Application, Xiao Li

Masters Theses

"The first part of the thesis presents the EM shielding effectiveness (SE) measurement of new kind of waveguide panel, MaxAir, which based on metal coating technology. SE Measurement tell the SE performance of MaxAir compared to the traditional metal waveguide panel. In terms of good features such as lower price, less weight, MaxAir could replace traditional waveguide panel in some applications by its SE results. There are two SE measurement methods are performed for MaxAir panel, both of them based on reverberation chamber. Measured SE for several MaxAir panel samples in different cell dimension and coating configuration. By the Measured …

Small-Signal Modeling Of Grid-Supporting Inverters In Droop Controlled Microgrids, Jacob Andreas Mueller

Masters Theses

"An approach to modeling externally controlled inverters in droop controlled microgrids is presented. A generic three-phase grid-tied inverter and control system model is derived in synchronous reference frame. The structure of this inverter is intended to be similar in composition to other three-phase inverters whose models and dynamics are well understood. This model is used as a starting point in the development of a more comprehensive model, which is capable of representing the coupling between complex power, bus voltage, and frequency that occurs in a microgrid. This new model is a combination of the generic inverter and an autonomous, grid-forming …

Evaluation Of Prosper For Modeling Long Lateral Gas Well Productivity In Toe Up, Toe Down, Horizontal Well Geometry, Abdussalam Mahmoud Mohamed

Masters Theses

"Most horizontal wells are not truly horizontal and may be drilled 'toe-up' or 'toe-down' to follow geological formations or in an attempt to keep the well from loading up. Challenges in directional drilling may also lead to horizontal gas wells with undulating wellbore profiles. This wellbore profile creates natural traps for heavy fluids in the lows and light fluid in the highs, which may result in chocked production. Hence, there is an interest in determining the best wellbore trajectory - toe-up, horizontal, or toe-down - for well unloading.

This study evaluates the capability of the well productivity software PROSPER to …

Mechanistic Identification Of Specific Force Coefficients In Endmilling Inconel 718 Under Four Cooling Strategies, Mahmood Shaman Ameen

Masters Theses

“This thesis presents the results of experimental investigations of the mechanistic identification of specific force coefficients for uncoated bull-nose and uncoated wavy-edge/bull-nose helical endmilling of Inconel 718 under emulsion, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), cryogenic (LN₂), and combined (MQL + LN₂) cooling. Several slot milling tests were conducted on Inconel 718 workpiece block with depth of cut 1.25 mm. The cutting parameters were varied as: spindle speed, n = 250 and 750 rev/min, feedrate, f = 25–75 mm/min by using uncoated carbide bull-nose helical endmill. Also 24 peripheral milling tests were conducted on Inconel 718 workpiece block …

Potential Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Utilizing Acidophilic Sulfate Reducing Bacteria In An Upflow Bioreactor, Elise Fay Kittrell

Masters Theses

"During coal and iron mining, pyrite is often exposed to oxygen, causing acid mine drainage (AMD). Acid mine drainage has characteristic traits of: a rust color, low pH levels (around 3 or 4) and high concentrations of sulfate, metal sulfates and heavy metals.

Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are often utilized in acid mine drainage treatment by implementing them into biochemical reactors (BCR). As SRB break down various carbon sources, bicarbonate is produced, raising the pH and generating hydrogen sulfide which reacts with numerous metals. This approach can be troublesome, as SRBs do not thrive at low pH levels often associated …

Analysis And Modeling Of Resilience For Networked Systems, Kamlesh Ashok Joshi

Masters Theses

"A cyber physical system (CPS) has two main subsystems; a physical infrastructure that is responsible for managing and implementing physical tasks, e.g., generation and distribution of a physical commodity, and a cyber infrastructure that is used to support and enhance these physical operations through computing, communication, and control. Imperfect cyber control can lower the efficacy and even reliability of existing physical infrastructures. As such, justifiable reliance on CPSs requires rigorous investigation of the effect of incorporating cyber infrastructure on functional and non-functional aspects of system performance. One non-functional metric of note is resilience, defined as the ability of a system …

The Effect Of Using Different Rock Failure Criteria In Wellbore Stability Analysis, Reza Rahimi

Masters Theses

"Determination of the appropriate drilling fluid density by rock failure analysis is an essential step to control wellbore instability. To determine wellbore failure stresses, the rock strength has to be known, an appropriate constitutive model has to be selected, and finally an accurate rock failure criterion must be chosen. Linear-poro elastic modeling of the mechanical wellbore failure is the most common approach to investigate wellbore instability. Numerous failure criteria have been used for the rock failure analysis but there is not any commonly accepted agreement of which failure criteria to use. Rock failure criteria differ in two main characteristics. First, …

Grayscale, Emily Bowers

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Placement Of Ell Students In Writing Classrooms: Perceptions, Implications, And Suggestions, Soha Youssef

Masters Theses

This study is a mixed methods approach to exploring English Language Learners' (ELL) perceptions about their placement in either ESL sections of first-year composition courses at a two-year college or mainstreamed sections at a four-year college. After conducting case studies of five students in both types of programs and interviewing the directors of each program, it is evident that students' affects influence their perceptions about placement. This study suggests the need for ELL students' inclusion in their placement decisions.

Reuniting Old Allies: A Case For Creative Composition, Stephen M. Jefferies

Masters Theses

Since the split between creative writing and composition that largely occurred in the late 1920s, the two departments have wrestled with boundaries that have defined and challenged both courses. Despite the occasionally contentious relationship between creative writing and composition/rhetoric scholars, the two disciplines have served as strong allies in the past. "Reuniting Old Allies" argues that returning to such an alliance could provide a fruitful, blended approach to writing.

This thesis traces the history of this schism from Aristotle to the modern English department, attempting to reconcile the two departments with a middle-ground approach called critical-creative composition that emphasizes the …

The Risks And Rewards Of Personal Writing In The High School Classroom, Dannette L. Williamson

Masters Theses

In light of the Common Core State Standards, more research is needed on the importance and transfer value of personal writing high school classrooms. These standards have brought a more rigorous focus to student learning. With a stronger emphasis on argument and source-based writing, high school educators need to reexamine if or how personal writing should fit into curricula. For this study, approximately thirty students from each grade at Effingham High School were surveyed. The entire English department, as well as staff members from other disciplines at Effingham High School, were also surveyed. Prominent findings of the data show that …

And By The Grace Of God, We'll Travel West, Aaron White

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Female Identity And Experience In Abc's Lost, Jennifer L. Reichart

Masters Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the female characters and their roles as mothers, daughters, and lovers in the television series LOST (ABC, 2004-2010). During its original runtime, the series presented intriguing yet complex women whose personal experiences were revealed in flashbacks. With the move from these flashbacks to flashforwards and flashsideways, the series further complicated both its form and its content by demonstrating how individual identity and experience informed each female character's decisions, motivations, and agendas. In this way, the series deconstructs various stereotypical roles women are placed in such as single mothers, pampered princesses, and imprisoned women. Oftentimes, …

Revitalizing Grammar Instruction For High School Juniors: Toward A Contextual, Student-Driven, And Minimalistic Method, Heather L. Lindenmeyer

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I explore best practices in grammar instruction for high school juniors. Practicing English teachers have been engaging in the great grammar debate for years, essentially arguing if and how grammar is best taught. Thoughts on teaching grammar greatly differ in the professional community, but most scholars call for a middle ground to be sought in the great grammar debate. In other words, very few scholars think traditional methods that isolate grammar instruction from the writing process are best, but even fewer scholars call for teachers to entirely rid their curriculum of all grammar instruction. I conclude that …

Numerical Modeling Of Infrared Thermography Techniques Via Ansys, Hayder Abdulnabi Thajeel

Masters Theses

"Several inspection techniques have been developed over years. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) technology has become a widely accepted as a nondestructive inspection (NDI) technique for different fields and various applications as well. Infrared thermography stands as one of the most an attractive and a successful NDI technique that has ability to detect the object's surface/subsurface defects remotely based on observing and measuring the surface's emitted infrared heat radiation by using an infrared camera. The finite element modeling FEM ANSYS was successfully used for the modelling of several IRT techniques; such as Pulsed Thermography (PT) and Lock-in Thermography (LT) that can …

Performative Gender And Pop Fiction Females: "Emancipating" Byronic Heroines Through A Feminist Education, Joy Smith

Masters Theses

"I can be a regular bitch. Just try me." With this phrase emblazoned across her t-shirt, Lisbeth Salander, pierced, tattooed, and bedecked in leather, waltzes from the pages of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This woman who subverts authority, maliciously tattoos and sodomizes a man, and intentionally distances herself from close relationships of any kind has somehow managed to capture both the attention and admiration of the American audience. This disheartening phenomenon stems from a renewed interest in the Byronic heroine, a female possessing those traits traditionally assigned to Byronic heroes and men, and the rise of …