Digital Commons Network^™

Studies Directed Toward The Diastereocontrolled Synthesis Of Heritol, Prashanth K. Padakanti

Masters Theses

3,3-Dichloro-4-indanyloxetan-2-one was synthesized and its double ring expansion in the presence of the Lewis acid magnesium bromide was investigated, which resulted only in a trans-fused butyrolactone in 25% yield. Of the natural products containing butyrolactones fused to 6-membered rings, trans is more common. This method of double ring expansion can be applied to the synthesis of the natural product heritol, whose core structure contains the butenolide moiety. A model study of the double ring expansion was performed with 3-chloro-4-indanyl-3-methyloxetane-2-one B6, but this study was not completed.

In order to apply the double ring expansion methodology to synthesize heritol, the preparation …

The Effects Of An Education Program On Women's Knowledge And Behavior During Menopause, Diana L. Stenger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if women's knowledge of perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues increased after participation in an educational workshop. The first objective was to determine if there was an increase in particip cipants' knowledge of physiological and psychological changes often experienced during perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues. Two further objectives were to determine if women reported learned treatment options and made any behavioral health changes to manage perimenopause, menopause, and related health issues, from attending the educational workshop, during a 3-month follow-up telephone survey. A quasiexperimental pre-test and post-test design involved a purposive …

The Influence Of Internet Pornography On Heterosexual Male University Students' Attitudes Toward Sexuality, Misty Baker

Masters Theses

The purpose of conducting this study was to explore heterosesexual male, Midwestern university students' attitudes regarding internet pornography. This study explored the use of internet pornography, with a specific focus on: a) the age of first exposure to internet pornography; b) the usage characteristics of internet pornography among heterosexual male university students; c) the sexual attitudes and beliefs toward women among heterosexual male university students;and d)the sexual activity history of heterosexual male university students. A 29-item questionnaire was designed by the researcher to explore exposure to internet pornography, sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, and attitudes toward forced sex. Fifty-five participants completed …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Parental Religiosity And Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Courtney Crane

Masters Theses

While religiosity's influence on family life has been widely examined in studies, little attention has been paid to religiosity's relationships to communication and conflict patterns within the family. The current study examined the relationship between parental religiosity and parent-adolescent conflict. A quantitative, bivariate exploratory survey design was utilized to examine parental religiosity's relationship with parent-adolescent conflict; 28 parents from three religious organizations participated in the study. The results indicated that there is no significant relationship between parental religiosity and quantity of topics discussed with adolescent, indicating parental religiosity does not affect the amount of communication in the parent-adolescent relationship. Parents …

Communication And Authenticity: Transformations Of The Self In The Digital Age, John Dowd

Masters Theses

Through an examination of disembodied forms of communication and technological discourse, this project explores the concepts of authenticity and its implications for communication research. Situated within phenomenological notions of embodiment, authenticity can serve as an important tool for doing rhetorical criticism. It provides an ethical component to criticism that is sorely lacking within many social scientific approaches to the study of human communication, which operate under the guise of objectivity. As authenticity, subjectivity, and embodiment are inescapably connected and as all three provide the foundation for this project, chapter one provides a working definition of each. It is argued that …

High Stakes Assessments: Influencing Post-School Outcomes For Students With Disabilities, Lynn Holdheide

Masters Theses

Public reports during the last 20 years such as "A Nation at Risk," have criticized students' lack of knowledge and skills upon exit from high school with a diploma. As a result, federal policy initiatives spanning the last decade have focused on raising the nation's education standards. In 2001 the United States Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) as a significant education reform agenda to improve the quality of education and enforce accountability in the public schools. Mandates within the NCLB legislation have elevated standardized testing beyond a simple measurement of a student's skills to a broader …

Off The Welfare Rolls And Back Into Poverty: A Look At 11 Years Of Illinois Welfare Reform, Amber Williams

Masters Theses

In 1996, the Republican-lead 104th Congress passed into law the most sweeping welfare reforms the United States had experienced in 60 years. The legislation, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, ended the decades-old Aid to Families with Dependent Children welfare and instituted the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families system. The new system ended entitlements, cut benefits to legal immigrants, set a two-year time limit for people to receive welfare benefits without working, and a five-year lifetime limit. In Illinois, the time limits for receiving cash benefits cut thousands of people off of the welfare rolls in the years …

Undergraduate Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Choosing A College Major, Sara L. Schaller

Masters Theses

This study examined the career decision-making experiences of undergraduate students who were classified as "undecided" in their majors and who qualified as adult children of alcoholics using the Children of Alcoholic Screening Test (Pilat & Jones, 1984). Through basic interpretative qualitative research, this study examined the decision-making experiences of adult children of alcoholics as they choose a major.

Results of this study were limited based on participation; however, three undergraduate females did share their experiences regarding family alcoholism and choosing a major. Only one participant discussed the impact of her family alcoholism on her decision of choosing a college major. …

The Role Of Real Exchange Rate On Output And Trade Balance: Evidence From Ethiopia, Daniel Getachew Ayele

Masters Theses

This paper examines the role of exchange rates in determining the trade balance and output behavior for Ethiopia. Conventional wisdom says that a real devaluation improves the trade balance and has an expansionary impact on output. Empirically, the evidence for both developed and developing countries has been inconsistent in either rejecting or supporting this hypothesis. This paper attempts to find evidence for these conditions. It uses a regression model formulation which includes income and money so that the monetary and absorption approaches to the balance of payments are also examined. The econometric procedure used is the Engle-Granger two-step method to …

Best Practices For Implementing A Biodiesel Program, Sundaresan Sadashivam

Masters Theses

"The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has a mandate to utilize biodiesel blends in its fleets. However, they have not been able to meet this requirement due to various implementation issues. Therefore, this thesis presents a study to determine the best practices for implementing a biodiesel program. The study was conducted by soliciting information from Departments of Transportation and other agencies related to their biodiesel programs and practices. A list of best practices was developed and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to prioritize this list of best practices"--Abstract, page iv.

Artificial Immune System Based Algorithms For Optimization And Self-Tuning Control In Power Systems, Mani Hunjan

Masters Theses

"Artificial immune systems (AIS) are new computational intelligence methods inspired by various mechanisms of the biological immune system. AIS are adaptive systems inspired by theoretical immunology and its functions, principles and models. The work depicted in this thesis centers on the applications of AIS based algorithms for optimization and self-tuning control in power systems. The optimization is carried out using an algorithm based on the clonal selection principle and the self-tuning characteristics of control for parameters are inspired by the humoral immune response of the human body. The work in this thesis is written in two papers as follows: Paper …

Identification Of Radial Streaming And Pseudopods In Dermoscopy Images, Sayali Prabhakar Deshpande

Masters Theses

"This thesis demonstrates an algorithm to identify the features of radial streaming and pseudopods found in dermoscopy images of malignant melanoma. The algorithm includes preprocessing images using the Principal Component Transform and an application of mathematical techniques to extract the desired features from the lesion image on the basis of color, size, shape, and orientation with respect to the lesion boundary. These identified features are further used to classify the lesion as malignant or benign. The proposed algorithm has produced a diagnostic accuracy of 90.50% for the training set of 31 malignant and 109 benign images and a diagnostic accuracy …

Susceptibility Scanning System As Failure Analysis Tool For System Level Esd Problems, Giorgi Muchaidze

Masters Theses

"System level Electrostatic Discharges (ESDs) can lead to soft-errors (e.g., bit-errors, wrong resets). The goal of this project is to offer guidance in finding the root cause of soft-errors frequently observed using immunity scanning system. Immunity scanning is an increasingly adopted method for root cause analysis of system level immunity sensitivities. It allows localizing affected nets and ICs. At first a description of the ESD discharge process is given, which provides the necessary background for correctly analyzing ESD failures. Local scanning and in-circuit measurement techniques are expounded in this study. Further, it is shown how PCB scanning results can reveal …

Manufacturing Of Glass Ribbon Reinforced Transparent Composites Using The Autoclave Process, Josef Patrick Seale

Masters Theses

"Clear transparent panels have many applications ranging from windows on an aircraft to protective safety guards on industrial equipment. Glass ribbon reinforced transparent composites are light weight, load bearing and have a high impact resistance.

A transparent composite is based on the concept of matching the refractive index of the glass ribbon with that of a resin system. It is not necessary that the resin refractive index match the glass refractive index before the cure cycle, only that the refractive indexes match after curing.

Transparent composites have a high impact resistance that would be mechanically ideal for aircraft windows and …

Sensor Network Coverage And Data Aggregation Problem: Solutions Toward The Maximum Lifetime, Li Yin

Masters Theses

"In the coverage problem, an optimal solution is proposed for the maximum lifetime sensor scheduling problem, which could find the upper bound of a sensor network's lifetime. This research reveals the relationship between the degree of redundancy in sensor deployment and achievable extension on network lifetime, which can be a useful guide for practical sensor network design"--Introduction, page 4.

Fast Sphere Decoder For Mimo Systems, Praveen G. Krishnan

Masters Theses

"This work focuses on variants of the conventional sphere decoding technique for Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) systems. Space Time Block Codes (STBC) have emerged as a popular way of transmitting data over multiple antennas achieving the right balance between diversity and spatial multiplexing. The Maximum Likelihood (ML) technique is a conventional way of decoding the transmitted information from the received data, but at the cost of increased complexity. The sphere decoder algorithm is a sub-optimal decoding technique that is computationally efficient achieving a ;symbol error rate that is dependent on the initial radius of the sphere. In this thesis, …

Modeling And Control Of Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication, Xiyue Zhao

Masters Theses

"Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) is an additive manufacturing technique that extrudes ceramic loaded aqueous pastes layer by layer below the paste freezing temperature for component fabrication. As the FEF is aimed at being conducted at low environmental temperatures, down to -20°C, it is necessary to investigate the effect of environmental temperature on the process. The advantages of fabrication at low temperature have been proved by experiments. Comparisons in terms of operation parameters, self-sustaining ability, and system dynamic response were performed at different environmental temperatures ranging from 20°C to -20°C.

It is commonly known in paste extrusion processes that due to …

Empirical Dynamic Modeling And Nonlinear Force Control Of Friction Stir Welding, Xin Zhao

Masters Theses

"Current Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process models are mainly concerned with the detailed analysis of material flow, heat generation, etc. and therefore, are computationally intensive. Dynamic models describing the total forces acting on the tool throughout the entire welding process are required for the design of feedback control strategies and improved process planning and analysis. In this thesis, empirical models relating the process parameters (i.e., plunge depth, travel speed, and rotation speed) to the process variables (i.e., axial, path, and normal forces) are developed to describe their dynamic relationships"--Abstract, page iv.

A Simulation Environment Modeling The Use Of Wireless Sensor Networks For The Detection And Mapping Of Wildfires, Matthew Gann

Masters Theses

"Over the past 5 years, billions of dollars have been spent fighting wildfires which consume thousands of acres. Currently, satellites are the primary source of information regarding the location of large scale wildfires. The satellites in use are capable of reporting the location of the wildfire, but these reports are generated infrequently and have a low spatial resolution, where the reported location of the fire can be off by 500 meters. Timely detection (latency) and frequent report (throughput) are needed to help prevent the destruction caused by wildfires. This thesis, a system is described based on an ad-hoc wireless sensor …

Nonlinear Control Of Nonholonomic Mobile Robot Formations, Travis Alan Dierks

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the framework developed to control a single nonholonomic mobile robot is expanded to include the control of formations of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots. A combined kinematic/torque control law is developed for leader-follower based formation control using backstepping in order to accommodate the dynamics of the robots and the formation in contrast with kinematic-based formation controllers typically found in literature"--Abstract, page iv.

Modular Architecting For Effects Based Operations, Emel Meteoglu

Masters Theses

"Effects Based Operations (EBO) is a way of thinking for planning, executing and assessing any operations for the effects they produce, rather than dealing with actions, targets or even objectives. The literature on EBO has been growing day by day; however, there is still a need for modeling techniques and tools that provide more efficient and effective effects based assessment, planning and analysis in order to further develop the capabilities of the operations. In this context, this thesis presents an introduction to EBO by focusing on its methodology, its challenges and also its applicability in different systems. Moreover, this thesis …

Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Study For Direct Metal Deposition Of Titanium Alloy And Tool Steel, Yaxin Bao

Masters Theses

"This thesis is focused on the research about DMD (Direct Metal Deposition) which is an additive manufacturing process and used in various engineering applications such as producing fully dense and net shape productions in difficult-to-machine materials. In this study, the microstructure was analyzed through optical microscopy and some mechanical properties were tested with different equipments such as SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and micro-hardness tester...In summary, this thesis validated that DMD process can be improved through surface treatments and is capable of repairing molds for die casting industry"--Introduction, page 1.

Vapor Phase Uptake Of Volatile Organic Contaminants By Hybrid Poplar Trees, Sally Rebecca Breite

Masters Theses

"Phytoremediation, the use of plants to immobilize, degrade or remove contaminants from the environment, shows great promise as a remediation technique for many contaminated sites. Phytovolatilization in particular is of great interest for sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Hybrid poplar trees have been shown to uptake, translocate and volatilize numerous aqueous-phase VOCs, however vapor phase uptake of such compounds has only recently been observed and for only one contaminant, tetrachloroethylene (PCE). One semi-volatile and five volatile compounds were dosed to poplar trees in aqueous and vapor phase …

Development Of A Liquid Injection Propane System For Spark-Ignited Engines Via Fuel Temperature Control, Brian Charles Applegate

Masters Theses

"This work describes the development of a thermally controlled liquid propane injection system...A liquid fuel system, as described in this work, offers power gains over vaporized fuel introduction due to the ability to use the heat of vaporization from the vaporizing fuel to cool the intake charge and improve the volumetric efficiency of the engine. This system uses temperature to control the state of the fuel in the fuel system"--Introduction, page 1.

Barriers And Best Practices For Material Management In The Healthcare Sector, Carlos Callender

Masters Theses

"For many years, the primary focus of the healthcare sector has been to provide patients with the best quality of care. Recently, with the escalating cost of supplies and the severe competition among healthcare providers, the pressure on material managers to operate more cost-efficiently without compromising the high patient care standards has significantly increased. While other sectors have experienced success through the deployment of supply chain management practices, the healthcare sector has not seen major improvements in this area. However, in spite of the uniqueness and complexity of the healthcare supply chain, opportunities for improvements are plentiful. Thus, this thesis …

A Real Time Operating System Based Test-Bed For Autonomous Vehicle Navigation, Pravin Dhake

Masters Theses

"Research and experiments on ... Autonomous Navigation Schemes and Algorithms need an efficient test-bed for objective performance analysis. These algorithms often require sensor inputs from the systems such as the speed and steering sensors to apply feedback control action. An efficient test-bed provides status of all sensors and records of all previous sensor values is very desirable. This work involves developing for such a test-bed to support research on Autonomous Navigation schemes and Algorithms involved in these applications. Different approaches are analyzed and an optimum approach to design test-bed is implemented"--Abstract, page iii.

Enhanced Functional Analysis System Technique For Managing Complex Engineering Projects, Sofia Tan

Masters Theses

"This study presents an Enhanced Functional Analysis Systems Technique (EFAST) tool to facilitate communication amongst various stakeholders such as the customers, program managers, systems architects, and systems engineers. the EFAST maps the customer requirements to downstream system functions and subsystem/component requirements, and outlines the interactions between various system and subsystem level and activities using a top-down approach. A bottom-up approach is used to populate the system element cost and time estimates. The EFAST tool compares the budgeted development resources with the estimated development resources to provide a realistic picture for realizing project in terms of performance, cost, and schedule. The …

Interactive And Dialogue Based Learning In Engineering Education, Siddartha Thummuri

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on a class room architecture that provides high levels of interactivity which enhances the students' learning environment both in distance and on-campus contexts and forms a basis for practical learning. Two analyses are presented in this thesis, the first one being a simple measure of levels of interactivity in this course architecture, based on rubric and the second one, a comparative analysis, to demonstrate the effectiveness of interactive (multi-directional information flow) classrooms as opposed to conventional (unidirectional information flow) classrooms and that this course architecture is ideal for enhancement of distance learning and an excellent route to …

Printed Circuit Board (Pcb) Loss Characterization Up-To 20 Ghz And Modeling, Analysis And Validation, Abhilash Rajagopal

Masters Theses

"Dielectric properties and losses are increasingly more important in signal link path characterization, as data rates increases. High-frequency effects such as dielectric losses, dispersion and skin-effect losses need to be considered. For ensuring signal integrity, it is important to characterize losses of printed circuit board (PCB) dielectrics. To extract dielectric properties of a stripline transmission medium, an analytical technique was used...Two test materials were studied, and the extraction procedure was refined. This technique was applied to microstrip transmission lines. Two analytical solutions were derived for extracting practical material parameters. A microstrip test vehicle was designed and the two extraction methods …

Executable System Architecting Using Systems Modeling Language In Conjunction With Colored Petri Nets - A Demonstration Using The Geoss Network Centric System, Renzhong Wang

Masters Theses

"Models and simulation furnish abstractions to manage complexities allowing engineers to visualize the proposed system and to analyze and validate system behavior before constructing it. Unified Modeling Language (UML) and its systems engineering extension, Systems Modeling Language (SysML), provide a rich set of diagrams for systems specification. However, the lack of executable semantics of such notations limits the capability of analyzing and verifying defined specifications. This research has developed an executable system architecting framework based on SysML-CPN transformation, which introduces dynamic model analysis into SysML modeling by mapping SysML notations to Colored Petri Net (CPN), a graphical language for system …