Digital Commons Network^™

The Spatial Experience In Visual Communication, Ya-Li Hsu

Theses

None provided.

Characterization Of Dc Reactive Sputtered Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films, Philip Infante

Theses

Indium tin oxide (ITO), sometimes referred to as tin doped indium oxide, is a widely used transparent conductor due to its ability to offer higher conductance and better etch ability over other transparent conductors. ITO has been utilized as transparent electrodes in liquid crystal displays and heterojunction solar cells, as transparent heat reflecting films, as the sensing medium in gas sensors, and in optoelectronic device applications. In general, these films are characterized by high transparency in the visible spectra, high reflectance in the IR and absorption in the UV regions, and near metallic conductivity. Although the desired characteristics of the …

Characterization Of The Radiometric Performance Of An Ir Scene Projector, Gary Ralph

Theses

A quantitative evaluation of a self-emitting far IR scene simulator is performed. The simulation system is comprised of a white-light source, spatial light modulator, optics, and a visible-to-infrared transducer. The performance was evaluated by measuring the MTFs of the system and sub-components and the thermal contrast. An attempt to correct variations in the radiometric response across the scene is done by modifying pixel values. Additionally, the effect of cooling the infrared transducer on the thermal contrast is investigated. Results are compared to a previous system which used a coherent light source.

Characterization Of Spatial Texture For Use In Segmentation Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery, Eleni J. Paliouras

Theses

This study examined the use of textural analysis to assist in the segmentation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. A previous study, which dealt with imagery collected passively by electro-optical systems in the visible and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, tested a method of identifying optimal subsets of texture features from a large pool of possibilities. Three new features were added to this pool and tested against the others to determine their specific utility in the segmentation of SAR imagery. Their value is demonstrated by consistent appearance in optimal subsets of texture features, and by their contribution of up …

Design, Graphic Arts, And Environment, Sondra Zalewski

Theses

The environment draws great attention today from many people and businesses. Some companies are beginning to play off these concerns in their marketing approach, while others dodge the topic at all turns. While many people feel we have serious environmental problems, others do not. It is a subject with which everyone is, perhaps, too hasty in their judgment. This thesis project encourages behavioral awareness and provides information from a multitude of sources so that a practical, rather than radical, view may develop. Information surrounding issues about the environment appear in many diverse publications. The sources of information, as well as …

Testing Chromatic Adaption Models Using Object Colors, Elizabeth Pirrotta

Theses

The objective of this research was to determine which published chromatic adaptation model performed best under a single set of conditions. Previous research has been conducted to study chromatic adaptation, develop models and to indirectly test those models. This research directly tested the performance of these models using printed, simple-field, object colors through a successive-ganzfe/cf haploscopic, paired comparison, matching experiment. The chromatic adaptation models tested were CIELAB, CIELUV, Fairchild '91, Hunt '91, LABHNU2, Nayatani et al. '90 and von Kries. The test illuminant was incandescent at 231 lux. Model predictions were calculated for the reference simulated daylight at 2,396 lux. …

Delicate Intimacies, Jeanne Marie Ferraro

Theses

None provided.

Plasma Modification Of Poly(Ester Sulfonic) Acid Aniomoneric Membranes, Linda Slapelis

Theses

The effect of variations in plasma parameters on the fluorination, degradation, and etching of poly(ester sulfonic) acid (AQ55) anionomeric membranes was examined. The determination of how the plasma gas composition, power, proximity of the sample to the glow, and time of exposure could be used to maximize surface fluorination and minimize degradation of polymer films is discussed. Membrane surfaces were characterized using contact angles, SEM, gravimetric analysis, DSC, FTIR/MIR, and XPS. These techniques aided in the determination of changes in surface energy, surface topography, sample weight, bulk property, and the identification and quantification of chemical functionalities produced at the AQ55 …

Daedalus: Cockpit Flight Management System, Jeffrey Paris

Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to design a portable computer-based flight management system for general aviation pilots.

A Hardware Approach To Neural Networks Silicon Retina, Arif K. Golwalla

Theses

The primary goal of this thesis was to emulate the function of the biological eye in silicon. In both neural and silicon technologies, the active devices occupy approximately 2 percent of the space, wire fills the entire remaining space. The silicon retina was modeled on the distal portion of the vertebrate retina. This chip generates, in real time, outputs that correspond directly to signals observed in the corresponding levels of the biological retinas. The design uses the principles of signal aggregation. It demonstrates a tolerance for device imperfection that is characteristic of a collective system. The digital computer is extremely …

Vhdl Modeling And Design Of An Asynchronous Version Of The Mips R30000 Microprocessor, Paul Fanelli

Theses

The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the feasibility of converting a synchronous general purpose microprocessor design into one using an asynchronous methodology. This thesis is one of three parts that details the entire design of an asynchronous version of the MIPS R3000 microprocessor. The design includes the main architectural features of the R3000: the 5-stage pipeline, the thirty-two 32-bit register bank, and the 32-bit address and data paths. To limit the size of the project, the memory and coprocessor are excluded. Therefore, this design has implemented the entire set of instructions from the original synchronous version with the …

Type Pictures: The Life And Work Of Albert Schiller, Michael Keefe

Theses

None provided.

Design, Construction, And Operation Of Water Treatment Plant Residual Monofills, Haitao Bian

Theses

Due to the stringent environmental regulations, landfilling becomes the most viable option for ultimate disposal of water treatment plant (WTP) residues. At present, most states apply the regulations for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills to the landfilling of WTP residues. This is too stringent since the WTP residues are not hazardous. Therefore, development of suitable criteria for WTP residual monofills is necessary and urgent.

A set of environmental and geotechnical experiments was conducted to characterize WTP residues. It can be concluded that very little leachate will be produced and migration of leachate is unlikely. Also it was noted that insignificant …

A Theoretical Study Of The Semiconductor Laser Structures With Lateral Discontinuity In The Optical Cavity, Yi Cai

Theses

A theoretical study of the semiconductor laser structures with lateral discontinuity in the optical resonant cavity is presented in this thesis. Specifically, the lateral discontinuity is referred to the lateral expansion structure newly invented for increasing the power output of semiconductor lasers while keeping single mode operation.

In the first part of the thesis (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3), an explicit expression for calculating the lateral discontinuity problems is formulated by the incorporation of mode-matching method. Our approach is based on the mode expansion theory developed for lossless micro-wave and optical fiber waveguides, but the effect of gain in active …

External Cavity Laser Power Stabilizer, Jie Ding

Theses

In this thesis, we want to design a stabilizer which does not depend on laser source--with external cavity.

In the first part of the thesis ( Chapter 2 and 3 ), we discuss the wave propagation in crystals and the modulation of optical radiation. From the main two types electro-optic modulations, Phase Modulation and Transverse Modulation, we know that the transverse modulation shows an increase in the frequency limit or useful crystal length of (1-c0/ncm)^-1, and we will use this type modulation in this thesis.

The second part of the thesis is the procedure of design and experiment. …

A Graphical Tool For Timed Petri Nets Using Object Oriented Programming, Baopu Liu

Theses

The objective of this effort is to develop a computer tool for drawing, editing and simulating Timed Petri Nets using object oriented programming. The developed C++ based Timed Petri Net Simulation Tool, TimedPNT, is capable of simulating discrete systems with both deterministic and stochastic delays. Preselection is used for conflict resolution. Performance and utilization results are automatically collected. XView™ Toolkit is used for building the TimedPNT's interactive graphical interface in compliance with AT&T's OPENLOOK® standard on a SunSparc™ IPX running SunOSTM 4.1.2. Compliance with the X Window standard makes the developed tool portable to other X Window based systems.

Machining Of Silicon Wafers With An Abrasive Water Jet Cutter, Frank J. Marciniak

Theses

This thesis consists of a study of the effects of abrasive water jet cutting on brittle silicon substrates. In total, 26 different cuts were made in a single crystal silicon substrate with an abrasive water jet cutter under different conditions of water flow, water pressure, and abrasive flow rate. These cuts were analyzed for surface roughness, and microstructure.

The roughness measurements were compared in order to determine the best possible cutting conditions. The cut with the best roughness of 0.000170 inches was obtained under cutting conditions of 30 KSI water pressure, 1 inch/minute cutting speed, and an abrasive flow rate …

Concurrent Engineering And Design For Manufacture In The Medical Device Industry, Martin A. Mathelier

Theses

Concurrent Engineering (CE) is an approach to product development in which engineers work on design and manufacturability at the same time. The ultimate goal of concurrent engineering is to reduce the time-to-market while improving quality. This thesis goes into details about the tools necessary to achieve successful product development in the Medical Device Industry. The novelty of this thesis is not in the tools themselves but rather in the way that they are applied to the medical device industry. The need for the CE approach is of utmost importance because of the vast competition in the medical device industry.

The …

Prediction Of Linear And Non-Linear Components Of Cutter Deflection In End Milling Tools, Kimberly Nazimek

Theses

In this study, cutter length, cutter diameter, depth of cut, and magnitude of the instantaneous force vector are examined to determine their effects on cutter deflection during end milling. Their contributions to both linear and non-linear cutter deflection are examined. Models are developed to compute deflection for both flat and ball end mills. These models are evaluated to determine the contribution of each type of deflection encountered during a variety of milling conditions. A discussion on the transfer of deflection data to an estimation of machining accuracy is then presented.

A Knowledge-Based Designer Assistant System With Application To The Design Of Helical Springs, Giridhar Raja

Theses

Design problems are generally difficult to solve because the domain of solutions is often infinite (like design of gears, bearings, shafts, springs etc.) and generally requires several iterations before we can arrive at the right solution. The search for the right solution satisfied by several constraints is also time consuming. Thus design intrinsically requires backtracking and several iterations to obtain the desired solution.

In the design of helical springs where the load, deflection, allowable stress, and material are specified, there are an infinite number of solutions. If, in addition to these requirements, the mean coil radius, wire diameter, free height …

Intelad : Intelligent Computer Workstation Adjustment Software, David W. Venezia

Theses

Muscular-skeletal disorders are a significant safety concern for professional computer users. Regard for human health, regulatory emphasis, and the inherent cost of the disorders give rise to this point. In an attempt to reduce the risk of injury to computer operators from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, this body of work provides an easy to use tool capable of determining the near optimal workstation orientation for any operator/workstation combination. Using a unique algorithm and compiled anthropometric data, computer software has been specially developed to map individual workstations in the Cartesian coordinate system. This mapping yields a recommended orientation that is compared to …

Development Of A Non-Intrusive Particle Motion Tracking Technique For Granular Flow Experiments, Jerry R. Volcy

Theses

Implementation aspects of monitoring the position and orientation of a one-inch diameter particle in space non-intrusively based on the principle of magnetic induction coupling are discussed. A radio-transmitter embedded within the particle induces voltages in receiver antennae. Position and orientation of the particle are deciphered from these voltages. A previously developed math model that predicts the voltage induced in an antenna given the position and orientation of the transmitter with respect to the antenna as well as the numerical techniques used to obtain the inverse solution of computing position and orientation from a given set of voltages are used.

Practical …

Investigation Of Reduced Hypercube (Rh) Networks : Embedding And Routing Capabilities, Michalis A. Sideras

Theses

The choice of a topology for the interconnection of resources in a distributed-memory parallel computing system is a major design decision. The direct binary hypercube has been widely used for this purpose due to its low diameter and its ability to efficiently emulate other important structures. The aforementioned strong properties of the hypercube come at the cost of high VLSI complexity due to the increase in the number of communication ports and channels per node with an increase in the total number of nodes. The reduced hypercube (RH) topology, which is obtained by a uniform reduction in the number of …

Measurement Of Velocity Of A High Speed Waterjet, Chang-Hsin Yu

Theses

In order to maximum the productivity of water jet cutting and cleaning. The determination of the particle velocities at different conditions of water jet formation is essential to the establishment of a prediction model of the cutting results.

The Study is Intended to develop an interface between Laser Transit Anemometer (LTA) and IBM PC for velocity field measurement of the jet by automation of technology design. To achieve this, a turbo basic program is developed to link LTA, counter processor, NIC-320 nicolet oscilloscope and IBM PC together for improve the efficiency and quality of velocity's measurement of the jet.

Because …

Study Of The Leaching Of Pentachlorophenol From Treated Utility Poles, Jingyi Zhang

Theses

Pentachlorophenol ( PCP ) has been used as a preservative in wood industry over 40 years. If new regulations are passed, the disposal of used treated utility poles in landfills could be restricted because of the toxic properties of PCP. This study was undertaken to provide a better understanding of the rates and mechanisms of leaching of PCP from these poles.

Following the initial analytical method development for PCP determination, a study was done to apply and validate the method in a leaching characteristics study of PCP from Douglas Fir and Southern Pine.

The major factors which influence the leaching …

Measurement Of Heart Rate Variability Using Correlation Dimension And Entropy, Su Zhang

Theses

Heart rate variability regulation is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Disorders of the autonomic nervous system may cause the loss of heart rate variability. Two new approaches, correlation dimension and entropy, based on ideas from nonlinear dynamics, have been applied to studying heart rate variability. The correlation dimension measures the extent of correlation between the data points. The entropy measures the amount of information needed to specify the state of a system. The interbeat interval signal (1BI) from eighteen subjects (nine normal controls and nine patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) ) have been analyzed and compared. The results …

Authentication For Mobile Computing, Andreas Keppler

Theses

Host mobility is becoming an increasingly important feature with the recent arrival of laptop and palmtop computers, the development of wireless network interfaces and the implementation of global networks. Unfortunately, this mobile environment is also much more vulnerable to penetration by intruders. A possible means of protection can be authentication. This guarantees the identity of a communication peer.

This thesis studies the constraints imposed on the mobile environment with respect to authentication. It compares the two prevailing authentication mechanisms, Kerberos and SPX, and tries to make suggestions of how a mechanism can be adapted to the mobile environment.

Sulfuric Acid Resistance Of Fly Ash Mortar, Walairat Bumrongjaroen

Theses

Crown corrosion of concrete pipe and its subsequent repair is a topic much discussed in recent years. Present protective methods have not worked effectively. Due to its properties and its low cost, fly ash was used as a cement replacement of mortar to investigate its sulfuric acid resistance.

Different types and different percentages of fly ashes were mixed with and without admixtures including microsilica, and superplasticizer. The main parameters investigated included the chemical compounds, the fineness and the volume of fly ash. 2"x2" cubes were immersed in a 10% sulfuric acid pond. The weight of each cube was determined continuously …

Time Frequency Analysis Of The Electromyogram During Fatigue, Michelle Rene Davies

Theses

Spectral parameters obtained from the surface EMG signal have been used as indicators of fatigue during a sustained contraction. These same parameters have not been tested with the EMG signals obtained from fine wire electrodes. One such parameter is the median frequency which is known to decline with fatigue. A comparison was done between the median frequencies obtained from the surface EMG and those obtained from the fine wire EMG. The median frequencies from both types of electrodes decreased with time indicating that fine wire electrodes could be used to measure fatigue.

In addition, a new technique, time frequency analysis, …

Transient Behavior Of An Adaptive Synchronous Cdma Receiver, Bin Zhu

Theses

A steepest descent algorithm is used to update the adaptive weights of a two-stage synchronous Code-Division Multiple-Access (CDMA) receiver that was proposed recently. An issue of the adaptive CDMA system - the convergence and stability property of the receiver is investigated in this thesis.

This adaptive synchronous CDMA receiver uses a decorrelator at the first stage and adopts a neural network which acts as an interference canceler at the second stage. It can achieve near-optimum performance. Furthermore, its computational complexity is just a square function of the number of users. The only requirement is the knowledge of the users' signature …