Digital Commons Network^™

A Multi-Sensor Chip For Monitoring The Quality Of Drinking Water, Heidi Purrington

Theses

A MEMS based multi-sensor chip has been developed for the purpose of monitoring turbidity, TDS, and temperature in a sample of drinking water. The benefits of MEMS technology over conventional sensors include compact size, low power consumption, integration capability, and low cost bulk manufacturing. Two revisions of the multi-sensor silicon chip were designed, fabricated, and tested. The layout of the chip and the fabrication process were redesigned in the second spin to provide more robust and sensitive responses. The sensor structures include photodiodes, temperature diodes, interdigitated electrodes in direct contact with the sample, and capacitive interdigitated fingers. The sensors were …

Does Increasing Metacognitive Awareness Alleviate Retrieval-Induced Forgetting Effects, Lauren W. Jones

Theses

No abstract provided.

Fabrication Of Polymeric Hollow Fiber Membrane For The Production Of Safe Drinking Water, Latifa Obeid Hamad Al-Nuaimi

Theses

Production of safe drinking water by using micro-filtration and ultra-filtration technologies has become more interesting. Water purification or filtration by using membrane began attracting much attention worldwide, because of its good characteristics such as: high efficiency in removing solid particles, viruses and germs and their low cost. This new technology is useful in industrial water treatment. The current studies in this field of polymer membrane manufacturing try to improve the characteristics, water flow rater and remove unwanted particles from water.

The recent project’s aim is to manufacture cellulose acetate hollow fibers. They were prepared by the Non Solvent Induced Phase …

Effect Of Various Heavy Metals On The Enzymatic Activity Of Bacterial Alkaline Phosphatase, Maithah Maktoom Salmeen Al Nuaimi

Theses

Soil is a natural resource that is utmost importance from an agricultural as well as environmental perspective. Good soil health not only helps improve the quality and yield of agriculture products, but is also important for recycling of significant amounts of organic biomass. However, pollution of soil by various pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides or petroleum hydrocarbons, can lead to serious environmental as well as biological effects. This pollution can directly harm animals and human beings, leach into drinking water source, damage plants and vegetation, as well as affect the endemic microorganisms and insects living in the soil.

Microorganisms …

The Effect Of Visfatin And Adiponectin On Metabolic Parameters Of An Animal Model Of Type 2 Diabetes, Thuraya Saeed Ali Alshamisi

Theses

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common exocrine disorders affecting more than 6% of the world’s population. The incidence and prevalence of this chronic disease are on the rise in many parts of the world including the Middle East. DM is caused by defective Insulin production, release and/or function. The causes and nature of abnormal insulin metabolism is less than clear. While defective insulin secretion is observed in type 1 diabetes, insulin resistance is predominant in type 2 diabetes, which affects more than 94% of the diabetic patients.

Materials and Methods: Rats between the age of two …

God In The Midst Of Human Warfare, Joseph C. Udeze

Theses

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Hibiscus Moscheutos Ssp. Lasiocarpos And Ipomoea Pandurata As Host Plants Of The Specialist Bee, Ptilothrix Bombiformis (Apoidea: Emphorini) And The Role Of Floral Scent Chemistry In Host-Selection., Melissa Diane Simpson

Theses

Ptilothrix bombiformis (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) is a specialist bee belonging to the tribe Emphorini. The emphorine phylogeny suggests that Convolvulacea is the ancestral plant family and independent evolutionary host-switches to several unrelated plant families have occurred. The role of floral scent has been well-characterized in pollination systems involving moths, butterflies, bumblebees, and honeybees, but little is known about how specialist bees mediate host selection, or how host-choice evolved in specialist bees. This research investigates the role of floral scent in host selection by P. bombiformis. Ptilothrix bombiformis has traditionally been classified as a Hibiscus (Malvaceae) oligolege. My research shows that it …

Austral Autumn And Winter Seasonal Affects On Benthic Foraminiferal Communities: Bransfield And Northern Gerlache Straits, Laura Anne Bordelon

Theses

The Southern Ocean has unique seasonal qualities due to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) thermo-isolating the Antarctic continent. During summer months, surface primary productivity from algal blooms is very high. In the winter months, limited daylight hours (4 in winter) and formation of sea ice prevents sun light from reaching surface waters, therefore limiting productivity. The short seasons of productivity and long winters in Antarctica combined with seasonal changes in deep ocean temperatures, salinity, and fluxes of organic matter impact foraminiferal population dynamics. Fluctuations in surface primary productivity, as well as living foraminiferal assemblages have been documented around the Antarctica …

Favecity: A Visual Exploration Of City Travel Information, Ching-Ping Chen

Theses

Web 2.0 provides a great environment for interactive information sharing and collaboration. We are no longer to receive information passively. On the contrary, everyone can contribute content and share personal experiences. It is a perfect social media for travelers to be connected. faveCITY is a visual exploration of what do people think and how do they feel about their favorite cities. It collects users' opinions about the city such as city emotion, favorite city feature, best season to visit and a souvenir recommendation. The goal of this project is to combine Web 2.0 features with information visualization to create an …

Fire History And Current Stand Structure Analysis Of A Midwestern Black Oak Sand Savanna, Cody Douglas Considine

Theses

Management and restoration of black oak dominated sand savannas often rely on historic vegetative descriptions (settler accounts, surveyor notes, aerial photographs). It is commonly assumed that fire alone maintains savanna structure and composition, however little information is known about the specific fire frequency needed to maintain these systems. The objective of this study was to quantify and correlate characteristics of stand structure with fire history of the Kankakee Sands savannas in northeastern Illinois. Fire history chronologies were determined through dendrochronological methods from 289 dated fire scars identified on 58 black oak (Quercus velutina) trees located throughout four wooded sites. Tree …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of College Science Students Regarding Carrers In Clinical Laobratory Science, Maureen L. Doran

Theses

Histology as a career offers many challenging and diverse job opportunities but few qualified applicants pursue this vocation. The purpose of this research was to collect data to identify factors impacting this problem. The study investigated the awareness, attitudes and perceptions of community college and university science students towards laboratory health science and histology as a career option. The goal was to develop strategies to identify and recruit potential individuals who are qualified for the histology profession. The researcher surveyed 15 undergraduate science classes from two community colleges and one university in the Midwest. The community colleges and university surveyed …

Graduation Day, Isaac Holze

Theses

This paper covers the making of the film Graduation Day and the aesthetic choices made along the way. Its focus is on the steps of the process and the obstacles each step created. Graduation Day is the story of student who has rapped his way through his final oral exam and is in danger of not graduating. He meets with his academic advisor and, through a rhythmic beat and speech pattern, convinces the advisor to see the fun in rapping. He eventually "steals" the cap and gown and goes on to graduation.

Effect Of The Internet On Reading Fiction Books For Enjoyment And Potential Interest In The Integration Of The Two Media, Jessica S. Cole

Theses

As the Internet grows in popularity, interest in the potential harmful effects that it will have on other media increases. The current study assesses the impact that the Internet has had on the leisure reading of fiction books and attempts to determine whether integrating Internet features with fiction books increases the appeal of reading them. An online survey was completed by 162 college students, which measured reading rates, Internet use, preferred Internet and book features, as well as interest in reading books that integrate Internet features. Findings show no indication that the Internet has affected leisure reading rates, that the …

Design For Invisibility: Designing A Placing System Through The Study Of User-Object Relationships In Everyday Life, Gahyung Song

Theses

The world we live in is a place where people are influenced by designed objects, often without noticing their presence or the fact that they have been designed at all. Although these objects are taken for granted their impact on our everyday life is immeasurable. By examining designed objects with regard to their relationship to users, this thesis attempts to rediscover the meaning of design in everyday life by encouraging a fluid user-object relationship, rather than a passive consumer-product relationship. It is important to understand the everyday phenomena by which designed objects become invisible when they fit one's environment well. …

In Dreams, Jesse Bickel

Theses

Dreams are a nightly phenomenon that everyone experiences. They are full of vivid imagery, imagination, and emotion. Using dreams as a rich source of inspiration I created wooden objects and furniture for the bedroom, the place where dreams occur. Even though dreams vary from person to person, there are common themes that can be found regardless of culture or gender. I tried to combine those themes with unique and specific imagery from my own dreams. Capturing the intangible quality of dreams proved to be difficult. A dream is like a memory, at times clear and intense, or contrastingly brief and …

Regulation Of The Alr1 Transporter By Mg Supply, Phaik Har Lim

Theses

Magnesium is required for many essential processes and pathways, including protein synthesis and energy metabolism. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mg2+ uptake across the plasma membrane primarily occurs via the magnesium transporter Alr1. Preliminary data had shown that Alr1-HA accumulation was decreased by Mg. Here I show that the epitope tag was responsible for this differential accumulation of Alr1, as native or N-terminally tagged Alr1 displayed much less differential accumulation. Immunoblotting and Ni2+ uptake assays indicated that both Mg-deficiency and the mnr2 mutation increased Alr1 activity, but under conditions where native protein accumulation was little affected. Since Mg-dependent regulation of …

Extending The Body: A Niche Design For Seamstresses, Brandon Mckean

Theses

As consumers, we are faced with a glut of products, the source of which we are dimly aware. Being unaware of the source of products, we are also unaware of the conditions under which they are produced. Designers often have an analogous relation with users. Unless we are directly involved with field research or user testing, we have an indirect relationship with our audience; hence, the conditions under which the products designed are actually used. To add to the gulf between users and designers, we are often tasked with designing mass-produced items meant to serve the needs of a vast …

Adaptive Difference Of Gaussian Algorithm For Coherent Line Drawing, Abadi Kurniawan

Theses

Non-photorealistic rendering is a method of imitating hand-drawn images using computer as the tool. One of hand-drawn techniques used by artists is line drawing. This goal of this thesis is to produce a technique to create line drawing images from real life picture. Based on a previous technique called Flow-based Difference of Gaussian (FDoG), we try to improve the output image so that it will create more believable pictures, as it if were hand-drawn by an artist. FDoG has proven to be able to produce results with coherent and connected lines, but it fails to capture coarse details on isotropic …

Adverse Advertising: The Impact Advertisements Have On Webpage Content Retention, David P. Keppel

Theses

This study examined the effect of Web-based advertising on Webpage content retention. A single-factor experiment was conducted on three groups of subjects (n=105). Each of the three groups differed only regarding the absence or presence of advertisements and the congruity of these advertisements to the thematic design of the Webpage and the informative content. A post-experimental questionnaire assessed the subject's retention of Web page content as well as the subject's retention of any present advertisements. The results suggest advertisement presence significantly reduces a subject's ability to retain informative content. The results do not suggest the congruity of the advertisement to …

Warrant And The Value Of Knowledge, Jonathan Scott Fuqua

Theses

There is a widespread intuition that knowledge is more valuable than any of its subparts. In the literature the need to show that this is the case is known as the secondary value problem. In this paper I propose to defend this intuition by solving the secondary value problem. In the first part of the paper I introduce and explain the problem I propose to solve. In the second part of the paper I discuss two objections to the very possibility of solving the secondary value problem. In parts three and four I attempt to solve the secondary value problem …

True West, Chris Toalson

Theses

This thesis, True West, utilizes photography to investigate the myth of the American West. I reflect on the ways that myth has been used to symbolically situate the West at the heart of our American identity, in order to discern our seeming fascination with this imagined West. Looking to photography's historical precedence as a purveyor of myth, my photographs explore notions of representation and re-presentation to question both photographic truth and western authenticity. I focus on the intertwining of history and myth, where more often than not, myth prevails. True West urges a refocus toward a more factual history, where …

Gestural Interaction Of In‐Vehicle Tasks: Audio And Climate Controls, Chongyoon Chung

Theses

I thought if in-vehicle interaction were as easy and spontaneous as our language, it would ensure safe driving. Through this research, I found drivers preferred gestural language to voice language when the control was simple and repetitive. This study investigates gestural interaction of secondary in-vehicle tasks while driving. I researched

functions that were most distractive to drivers and applied those to my new interaction. According to Paul Green, the most distractive in-vehicle interaction was audio and climate controls. Based on this research, I then applied audio and climate controls gestures as input for the interactions. The best eyes and hands …

Chascript: A Chinese Interactive Typographic Drawing Application, Yiyi Lu

Theses

Chinese characters have a complex beauty as well as individual meanings. People, like artists and designers, are often drawn to this. But it is not easy for non-Chinese people to use these characters to design. This work explores how interactive multimedia can be utilized as a tool for users in type drawing. Divided in to four main sections, this thesis will offer general information about Chinese characters, will explain what stroke and stroke order is, will offer a pictograph form, and will allow the user to try and play with Chinese characters interactively in order to get the art work …

Eganwo: The Graphic Novel’S Escape To Digital Media, Brian P. Kowalczyk

Theses

Comics are beginning to rise in popularity today, but there is still a significant portion of society that rejects comics as an art form. The main objective of this project was to develop a product for the comic book industry with which they could tap into and benefit from a broader online audience. This project attempts to further what recent success the comic book has had in other forms of media other than that of print, such as movies, videogames, and motion graphics. Reaching out to new demographics on the World Wide Web and combining the comic book experience with …

Patterns Of Affiliation And Agonism In A Ringtailed Lemur, , Society: Tests Of The Socioecological Model And Other Hypotheses, Gena Christine Sbeglia

Theses

Efforts to understand the variation in primate social systems and the underlying social interactions have focused on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In the socioecological model, food distribution and abundance have been argued to be the primary influences on the social relationships and resulting social organization of primate groups. In the first part of this study, I examined the relationship of food and three additional factors (kinship, proximity, previous agonism) with patterns of affiliative and agonistic interactions in two semi-free ranging ringtailed lemur, , social groups (n=14) at Duke Lemur Center in Durham, NC. Affiliation and high intensity agonism patterns …

Hide & Seek: Objects Of Meaning, Amy Maguire Chidiac

Theses

This thesis project is to design a philosophy to create mindfulness in the user of an object. To exemplify the philosophy, the secondary goal is to design objects with these attributes. Objects that encourage mindfulness will be meaningful to the user. Meaningful objects will increase the enjoyment of everyday life. Research on psychology, cultural anthropology, brain function, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism help form the philosophy. The design philosophy developed consists of three criteria that when met will make an object encourage mindfulness in its user. The objects designed are a 5 Inch Utility Knife, a Hemisphere Mixing Bowl, and a …

Time Delays And System Response Times In Human-Computer Interaction, Noah Stupak

Theses

This study sought to determine a type of graphical representation of system response time that would be most beneficial to the user in terms of task performance. Specifically, I examined which type of progress bar would allow the user to return to working with the system most efficiently while performing other concurrent tasks, and how well the user performed these tasks. The different types of progress bars studied included segmented and continuous progress presentations, and linear, accelerating, and decelerating progress behaviors. The results indicate that different representations of system response time affected performance on the two tasks, with the continuous …

A Vital Environment, Taesung Jeng

Theses

Every day, nature is being used and is also being destroyed through over cutting and overgrazing of forests and grasslands because of the expansion of human numbers. The economic and material demands of growing villages and towns are not the causes but the results of human activity. What is the impact of the careless occupancy of so many of earth's human occupants? Are we turning everything in nature into something human-made and human used? My artworks emphasize how nature as a lay concept is changed by humans' desire for comfort and materialism. In addition, since human creation is another form …

Colors Of The Music, Meng-Tieh Fang

Theses

It is a generation of high technology. Our daily life is full of computing in the aspects of work and leisure. Computing also influences on art, and now a computer can be a new form of representation. Artists use computers to create and show their art works, and viewers now not only view those art works but also involve in art works through the interactivity of a computer. Motion graphics are attractive. Flash based programs are rich in interaction. This project combines the two features to create a user driven art that promotes classical music to children and of course …

Non-Foster Matching Of An Rfid Antenna, Nedime Pelin Yalcin

Theses

In this thesis, novel designs of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag antennas with better matching characteristics to achieve extended range for passive tags have been investigated in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band. A variety of cavitybacked/coupled microstrip dipole antennas in 915 MHz range were considered. Additionally, a negative impedance converter designed to cancel out antenna's input capacitance at resonance frequency and to produce the real antenna input impedance was designed, simulated and implemented for an RFID antenna. Numerical simulations have been carried out using ORCAD software package (Cadence), ADS software package (Agilent) and HFSS software package (ANSYS/ANSOFT Inc). Antennas have been …