Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Automatic And Deliberative Processing On Ingroup-Outgroup Biases In Moral Judgments., Ramila Usoof

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Simulator Based, Novice Driver Risk Awareness Training Program, Frank Diete

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

An advanced training program on risk perception was developed and evaluated in a driving simulator. This training program included two elements. The first one was a PC-based Risk Awareness and Perception Program (RAPT) that had been developed and evaluated in several studies by researches at the Human Performance Lab within the last several years. Plan views of risky scenarios were used to explain to participants the location of potential hazards. The second element of the training (SIMRAPT) was newly developed for this study and used the portable low-cost driving simulator Drive Square Simulation System to train risk perception skills while …

Silicon Germanium (Sige) Bipolor Dicke Radiometer Front End Receiver Chip, Randy L. Wolf

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Radiometers measures background radiation noise power of a target. The dominant quality factor of the radiometer is determined by how sensitive it is, so the lower the noise figure and the higher the gain, the more sensitive it is. It must also calibrate out any interfering noise such as sky background and system noise. Any change in gain of the radiometer receiver must also be taken into account. A Dicke radiometer compensates system gain and noise variation by switching between the target and a known noise source. To accomplish this, a single pole, double throw (SPDT) switch, switches between the …

Rang De Basanti- Consumption,Citizenship And The Public Sphere, Meghana Dilip

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Operation And Improvement Of The Iwrap Airborne Doppler Radar/Scatterometer, Tao Chu

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Global Interconnects In The Presence Of Uncertainty, Ibis D. Benito

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Global interconnect reliability is becoming a bigger issue as we scale down further into the submicron regime. As transistor dimensions get smaller, variations in the manufacturing process, and temperature variations may cause undesired behavior, and as a result, compromise performance. This work makes an effort to characterize the effects of such variations, to provide designers with a guideline for making designs tolerant to these variations while benefiting from tighter design margins.

Since interconnects contribute to most of the delay and power on a chip, interconnect performance becomes a primary issue in design. One of the main concerns when considering physical …

Automatic Techniques For Modeling Impact Of Sub-Wavelength Lithography On Transistors And Interconnects And Strategies For Testing Lithography Induced Defects, Aswin Sreedhar

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

For the past four decades, Moore's law has been the most important benchmark in microelectronic circuits. Continuous improvement in lithographic technology has key enabler for growth in transistor density. In recent times, the wavelength of the light source has not kept its pace in scaling. Consequently, modern devices have feature sizes that are smaller than the wavelength of light source used currently in lithography. Printability in sub-wavelength lithography is one of the contemporary research issues. Some of the printability issues arise from optical defocus, lens aberration, wafer tilting, isotropic etching and resist thickness variation. Many of such sources lead to …

Supply Current Modeling And Analysis Of Deep Sub-Micron Cmos Circuits, Tariq B. Ahmad

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Continued technology scaling has introduced many new challenges in VLSI design. Instantaneous switching of the gates yields high current flow through them that causes large voltage drop at the supply lines. Such high instantaneous currents and voltage drop cause reliability and performance degradation. Reliability is an issue as high magnitude of current can cause electromigration, whereas, voltage drop can slow down the circuit performance. Therefore, designing power supply lines emphasizes the need of computing maximum current through them. However, the development of digital integrated circuits in short design cycle requires accurate and fast timing and power simulation. Unfortunately, simulators that …

A Ka Band Switch-Lna Mmic For Radiometry Applications, Miguel Alvarado

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The need for low cost and low size radiometers have encouraged many to look at the implementation of radiometers using MMICs. Compared to their waveguide counterparts, radiometers implemented with MMICs significantly reduce the size and weight of the radiometer, while still maintaining satisfactory electrical performance at millimeter wave frequencies. Utilizing MMICs can also help in significantly lowering the noise temperature of the radiometer, specifically, metamorphic high electron-mobility transistors (mHEMT) have demonstrated very low noise, high gain performance and comparably low cost. This thesis is focused on designing a combined switch and low noise amplifier IC at 36.5 GHz that lowers …

Shale-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter As A Substrate For Subsurface Methanogenic Communities In The Antrim Shale, Michigan Basin, Usa, Roger Huang

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The microbial origin of methane produced from sedimentary basins is a subject of great interest, with implications for the global cycling of carbon as well as natural gas exploration. Despite the growing body of research in sedimentary basin methanogenesis, few studies have sought to understand the subsurface microbial communities that produce methane, the metabolic pathways involved in the decomposition of ancient organic matter, or the components of ancient organic matter that are consumed. This research examined shale-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a potential substrate to support a subsurface methanogenic community in a known microbial shale gas reserve, the Antrim …

Infant Attention To Foreground Television And Relationship To Joint Visual Attention, Lindsay B. Demers

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The research described here examines infant and parent attention to a familiar baby video. Also of interest, was if infant viewing behaviors influenced parent viewing behaviors, and vice versa. Subjects were 12-15 and 18-21 month-old infants who were observed watching a familiar baby video with one parent. Overall infants and adults spent less than one-third of the time watching the television. This measure varied greatly across dyads. However, there was a strong, positive relationship within dyads, suggesting that infants and parents may be influencing each other’s viewing behavior. Further analyses revealed that there was a social component that influenced when …

Molecular-Beam Mass-Spectrometric Analyses Of Hydrocarbon Flames, Saugata Gon

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Laminar flat flame combustion has been studied with molecular-beam mass-spectrometry (MBMS) for a fuel-rich cyclohexane (Ф = 2.003) flame, a fuel-lean toluene (Ф = 0.895), and a fuel-rich toluene (Ф = 1.497) flame. Different hydrocarbon species in these flames were identified, and their mole fraction profiles were measured. The information can be used to propose reaction mechanisms for the different hydrocarbon flames.

One MBMS apparatus located at Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was used to identify and measure the mole-fraction profiles of different species in these flames. The MBMS apparatus located at University of Massachusetts Amherst …

Development Of A Solid-State Doppler Marine Radar, Gita P. Pathak

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Probing The Peptidyl Transferase Center Of Ribosomes Containing Mutant 23s Rrna With Photoreactive Trna, Nicole C. Caci

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

There is strong crystallographic evidence that the 23S rRNA is the only catalytic entity in the peptidyl transferase center. Various mechanisms for the catalysis of peptidyl transfer have been proposed. Recently, attention has been given to the idea that the 23S rRNA simply acts to position the tRNA for spontaneous peptidyl transfer and that chemical catalysis may play only a secondary role. Conserved nucleotides U2585 and U2506 are thought to be involved in positioning the 3’ ends of A- and P-site substrates based on the crystallographic evidence, and because mutagenesis at these sites severely impairs peptide bond formation. In this …

Energy Efficient Adaptive Reed-Solomon Decoding System, Jonathan D. Allen

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This work presents an energy efficient adaptive error correction system utilizing the Reed-Solomon errors-and-erasures algorithm, targeted to an Altera Stratix FPGA device. The system adapts to changing channel conditions by reconfiguring the system with different decoders to allow for the lowest possible energy consumption rate that the current channel conditions will allow.

A series of energy saving optimizations were applied to a set of previous designs, resulting in a reduction in the energy required to decode a megabit of data of more than 70%. In addition, a new channel model was used to assess the effects of differing reconfiguration rates …

The Effect Of Price Postponement On The Coordination Of A Two Stage Supply Chain Facing Consumer Returns, Thomas Lenk

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In this thesis, we analyze the effect that price postponement has on the performance and coordination of a two-stage supply chain facing consumer returns. In an extended news-vendor setting with a single product, a single manufacturer and a single retailer who faces stochastic and price-dependend demand, we allow the retailer to postpone his decision on the retail price until after demand uncertainty is resolved. A certain percentage of sold products is returned, which results in reverse logistics costs and a full refund for both consumer and retailer. In this setting we conduct an extensive computational study to investigate the value …

Invertebrate Phenology And Prey Selection Of Three Sympatric Species Of Salmonids; Implications For Individual Fish Growth, Jeffrey V. Ojala

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Growth plays an important roll in the survival of individual salmonid fish. Diet inevitably plays a significant role in the determination of salmonid growth, with these diets consisting primarily of aquatic macroinvertebrates, predominately insect taxa. Aquatic insects have a complex life history with most having a short, aerial adult period and an aquatic juvenile stage(s). The periodicity of this juvenile stage (voltinicity) can take a few months to a few years, with the vast majority lasting a single year. These numerous and overlapping phenologies therefore have a significant impact on the availability of prey that salmonid fish find profitable.

Variation …

Looks, Patrick F. Robbins

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Organic Mainstream Movement: A Case Study Of New England Organic Produce Prices, Megan M. Dolan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Stability Of The Frog Motor Nerve Terminal: Roles Of Perisynaptic Schwann Cells And Muscle Fibers, Ling Xin

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Asymmetric Decision Policies And Consumer Behavior On Supply Chain Coordination Under Consumer Returns, Harald Schmid

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Within this thesis we investigate the effect of asymmetric agent decision making on the coordination of a two echelon supply chain facing consumer returns. On the basis of the classical newsvendor setup, supply chain players may face stochastic, or stochastic and price-dependent demand. We consider consumer returns to be either (1) a specific percentage of sold products, or (2) dependent on the retail price. Given the lack of coordination of the decentralized supply chain, we not only consider wholesale price-only contracts but also examine a buy-back option, where the manufacturer offers to buy back unsold items from the retailer at …

An Evaluation Of Simulation Models To Assess Travel Delay In Work Zones, Fan Wu

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

About 20 percent of the U.S. National Highway System is under construction during the peak summer roadway season. Fifty percent of all highway congestion is attributed to nonrecurring conditions and work zones are estimated to account for nearly 24 percent of nonrecurring delay. Work zones account for two percent of roadway crashes and more than 1,000 fatalities per year.

Motorists across the United States have increasingly voiced their displeasure with work zones and the associated delay. This has posed a challenge to transportation officials and contractors as they are faced with finding ways to reduce work zone delay. A key …

Coded Pulse Transmission And Correlation For Robust Ultrasound Ranging From A Long-Cane Platform, Raymond S. Frenkel

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The objective of this research was to increase the independence and safety of the sight impaired by developing an enhanced travel aid in the form of a sensor embedded long-cane to reduce the risk of injury from walking into suspended or overhanging objects while providing the sight impaired community with a familiar and well accepted tool.

Prior research at the Electromechanical Systems Laboratory had established a theoretical framework for ultrasound-based ranging and spatial obstacle localization from the moving reference frame of a long-cane. A prototype was implemented using analog threshold detection techniques.

This research focused on a new approach. A …

Implication Of Adam Related Metalloproteases In Equine Laminitis, Michael Coyne

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Heating Chicken Muscle On Formation Of Bioavailable Froms Of Iron, Nilesh B. Karava

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Muscle foods/meat enhances bioavailability of non-heme iron form the diet. This effect is generally thought to be due to production of peptides, by gastro-intestinal digestion, which reduces/chelate the iron in upper intestine. Dialyzable iron is widely used as an in-vitro indicator of iron bioavailability, and with few exceptions, correlates well with human studies. Human studies have used cooked meat to test the effect on iron, but little attention has been given to the effects of cooking. We studied the effect of heating chicken muscle on the production of dialyzable iron. Chicken breast muscle was homogenized and heated to the temperatures …

An Orthogonally-Fed, Active Linear Phased Array Of Tapered Slot Antennas, Andrew R. Mandeville

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

An active, broadband antenna module amenable for use in low cost phased arrays is proposed. The module consists of a Vivaldi antenna integrated with a frequency conversion integrated circuit. A method of orthogonally mounting endfire antennas onto an array motherboard is developed using castellated vias. A castellated active isolated Vivaldi antenna package is designed, fabricated, and measured. An 8x1 phased array of castellated, active Vivaldi antenna packages is designed and assembled. Each element has approximately one octave of bandwidth centered in X-band, and each is mounted onto a coplanar waveguide motherboard. Radiation patterns of the array are measured at several …

Mimo Communication For Ad Hoc Networks: A Cross Layer Approach, Suraj Kumar Jaiswal

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

New technologies such as pervasive computing, ambient environment, and communication avid applications such as multimedia streaming are expected to impact the way people live and communicate in the wireless networks of the future. The introduction of these new technologies and applications is, however, a challenging task in wireless networks because of their high bandwidth requirements and Quality of Service (QoS) demands.

A significant recent advance in wireless communication technology, known as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) provides unprecedented increase in link capacity, link reliability and network capacity. The main features of MIMO communication are spatial multiplexing, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-point transmission as well …

A Mathematical Model Of Acute Response Of Parathyroid Hormone To Changes In Plasma Ionized Calcium In Normal Humans, Rajiv P. Shrestha

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

A complex bio-mechanism, referred to as calcium homeostasis, regulates plasma ionized calcium (Ca++) concentration in the human body to within a narrow physiologic range which is crucial for maintaining normal physiology and metabolism. Various metabolic disorders and pathologic conditions originate from acute and/or chronic disturbances/disorders in calcium homeostatic system. This system relies on numerous sub-systems which operate in different time-scales ranging from minutes to weeks. In this thesis we focus on a particular sub-system that operates on the time-scale of minutes; the dynamics involves the response of the parathyroid glands to acute changes in plasma Ca++ concentration. We develop a …

Dynamic Recofiguration Techniques For Wireless Sensor Networks, Cheng-Tai Yeh

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The need to achieve extended service life by battery powered Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) requires new concepts and technqiues beyond the state-of-the-art low-power designs based on fixed hardware platforms or energy-efficient protocols. This thesis investigates reconfiguration techniques that enable sensor hardware to adapt its energy consumption to external dynamics, by means of Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS), Dynamic Modulation Scaling (DMS), and other related concepts. For sensor node-level reconfiguration, an integration of DVS and DMS techniques was proposed to minimize the total energy consumption. A dynamic time allocation algorithm was developed, demonstrating an average of 55% energy reduction. For network-level reconfiguration, …

Metallic Carbon Nanotubes, Microwave Characterization And Development Of A Terahertz Detector, Kan Fu

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

It is reported that terahertz radiation from 0.69 to 2.54 THz has been sensitively detected in a device consisting of bundles of carbon nanotubes containing single wall metallic carbon nanotubes, quasi-optically coupled through a lithographically fabricated antenna, and a silicon lens. The measured data are consistent with a bolometric detection process in the metallic tubes and the devices show promise for operation well above 4.2 K.

Microwave measurements have also been done up to 20GHz. Voltage responsivity got here is comparable to that of the Schottky diode detector. The detection at microwave frequencies are consistent with the diode detection mode. …