Digital Commons Network^™

Access And Denial, Jill Oberman

Theses

In creating the body of work for my thesis exhibition, I investigated the themes of personal barriers. The resulting ceramic sculptures explore some of the issues that people encounter as they attempt to establish meaningful connections to one another. Emphasizing the many layers that people possess, and the different ways that these layers can be revealed, I created both wall and pedestal sculptures that examine the many ways that I allow, and sometimes deny, others access to my innermost being. I often surround the important aspects of who I am with layers of protective walls, which act as a barrier …

A Personal Mobile Computer (A Notebook Computer Without A Keyboard), Kwan-Sik Cho

Theses

None provided.

The Interrelationship Of Graphic Design And Fine Art, Antoinette Monnier

Theses

The graphic designer is a visual communicator who transmits messages from a client to an audience. The message must be clear and free of the distracting presence of the designer, because a designer's personal biases and feelings are irrelevant to the client's message. However, work produced by some contemporary designers has challenged the notion of clear visual communication and problem-solving. It is self-expressive, ambiguous, and open to interpretation, taking on characteristics traditionally associated with fine art rather than graphic design. While the production and viewing of some graphic design is becoming a more private experience, the reverse is true in …

A Computational Analysis Of Observer Metamerism In Cross-Media Color Matching, Richard Alfvin

Theses

Standard color-matching functions are designed to represent the mean color-matching response of the population of human observers with normal color vision. When using these functions, two questions arise. Are they an accurate representation of the population? And what is the uncertainty in color-match predictions? To address these questions in the dual context of human visual performance and cross-media reproduction, a color-matching experiment was undertaken in which twenty observers made matches between seven different colors presented in reflective and transmissive color reproduction media and a CRT display viewed through an optical apparatus that produced a simple split field stimulus. In addition, …

Epidemiological Study Of Road Traffic Accidents, Casualties And Fatalities In The United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Saif Al-Falasi

Theses

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with its rapid expansion of road construction and increase in the number of vehicle, road traffic accidents are becoming a serious public health problem. It was aimed to study road traffic accidents (RTA) in view of the fact that cause a substantial waste of national resources which could be used fruitfully for the improvement of health schemes and other aspects of life in UAE. It was observed that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of registered vehicles during this period. During the ten years period 1983 to 1992, the population of …

Convergence Of Adaptive Morphological Filters In The Context Of Markov Chains, Yidong Chen

Theses

A typical parameterized r-opening *r is a filter defined as a union of openings by a collection of compact, convex structuring elements, each of which is governed by a parameter vector r. It reduces to a single parameter r-opening filter by a set of structuring elements when r is a scalar sizing parameter. The parameter vector is adjusted by a set of adaptation rules according to whether the re construction Ar derived from r correctly or incorrectly passes the signal and noise grains sampled from the image. Applied to the signal-union-noise model, the optimization problem is to find the vector …

Polarization Modulation And Splicing Techniques For Stressed Birefringent Fiber, Risa Robinson

Theses

A study has been conducted in the areas of polarization modulation and splicing techniques for a polarization maintaining PANDA type fiber. Polarization modulation was achieved by compressing the fiber both along the fast and slow axes. A sensitivity of 16.69 rad/(g/um) and 27.56 rad/(g/um), corresponding to a maximum phase diffrerence of 2.39 radians and 3.96 radians for compressing along the x and y birefringent axis, respectively, was achieved, with the compression material complying to a 15 degree arc around the fiber circumference. Polarization cross coupling was measured to be 0.6% for compressing with a force of 1.3 g/um. Polarization cross …

The Influence Of Format On Accessibility, Audrey Sumberg

Theses

The initial idea for this thesis project stems from an interest in artists' books. Of particular interest is the way in which the physical format of the book can be an integral part of the artistic concept. Artists' books are books as art rather than books about artists or their work. As such, they exceed the boundaries of conventional expectations. They are about themselves, not simply passive vehicles for carrying information. The "reader" experiences an artist's book in much the same way the viewer experiences a painting, a sculpture, or a ceramic vase. The format for carrying information is as …

Management Of Hospital Wastes In The United Arab Emirates, Hanan Ahmed Ali Shuwaiter

Theses

The gradual expansion and development of new public and private medical complexes have resulted in the production of various types of wastes which include hazardous materials. Such wastes require appropriate handling and management schemes based on safer disposal methods. There are no reliable figures for quantifying the amount of medical waste generated or appropriate legislation and guidelines for handling, storage, transport and disposal of medical waste in the United Arab Emirates. No previous detailed studies have been conducted for the management of medical waste in the UAE. In general there is insufficient awareness of the health hazard associated with improper …

Effects Of Ergonomic Worksite Changes On Risks For Cumulative Trauma Disorders Of The Upper Body In An Assembly And Press Operation Job, David B. Mahone

Theses

Cumulative trauma of the upper body is associated with a variety of individual and job factors. An effort to optimize the human-hardware interface to minimize cumulative trauma is favored. Workers in a set of jobs had complained about hand/wrist and shoulder discomfort. One job was selected for testing alternate machine controls and worksite layout. Electromyography was used to test muscle activity, and photogoniometry was used to measure posture.

For the group of ten worker-subjects, statistically significant decreases in hand/wrist and shoulder muscle activity were found. A marginal, but significant increase in neck muscle activity was also found. When one subject …

Fundamentals Of Adhesion Of Organic Compounds And Aqueous Cleaning Of Glass And Metal Surfaces : Applications In The Pharmaceutical And Chemical Industries, Michel J. De Ruijter

Theses

In this thesis we studied the physics and chemistry of the adhesion of various classes of organic compounds to glass and stainless steel surfaces, by using diagnostic aqueous cleaning solutions and other techniques. We defined the thermodynamic requirements for aqueous cleaning based on extensive experimental and theoretical work. Novel cleaning diagrams are introduced, based on electrostatic interactions between organic compounds and solid surfaces, to facilitate the design of aqueous cleaning systems. We studied the mass transfer parameters for selected situations. The electrochemical Pourbaix-diagrams were used to explain the effect of hydrogen peroxide added to aqueous solutions and to avoid corrosion …

The Morphology Of Uhmwpe Wear Debris Generated By A Hip Joint Simulator, Aaron P. Essner

Theses

The size, quantity and shape of total hip replacement wear debris may identify wear mechanisms as well as play a role in osteolysis. Characterization of wear particles generated from a hip joint simulator was conducted followed by comparison with literature reported in vivo results. The effect of counterface material and lubricant type on particle morphology was assessed. Biomaterial pairs including UHMWPE articulated against CoCr, Alumina and Zirconia were considered. Deionized (D.I.) water and bovine serum were used as lubricants. Particles generated from Alumina/UHMWPE in serum were slightly larger than those for CoCr and Zirconia against UHMWPE in serum. Particle shape …

Reducing Rail-Truck Freight Intermodal Drayage Costs, David Moy Jr.

Theses

In rail-truck intermodal transport, a highway truck-trailer or container is moved by truck from a shipper to a rail terminal in the shipper's vicinity, and by rail in line haul between rail terminals. Upon being unloaded at the destination rail terminal, the container is delivered to a receiver (consignee) by truck. The highway portion of the move, or drayage, accounts for a relatively high percentage of total origin to destination cost, and it limits severely the competitiveness of intermodal service with door-to-door truck service. The approach used in this thesis is to examine in detail the current costs and potential …

A Study Of Transit Corridors Within The Njtpa Region, Mark Kagen Berger

Theses

Identifying potential bus and rail transit corridors for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) region by examining current travel patterns of commuters was the purpose of this thesis. The current transit corridors within the NJTPA region was discussed first, followed by the methods for selecting specific municipalities for analysis. At this point, specific examinations of the selected municipalities' origin and destination travel patterns were mapped. The results were then summed up, along with a discussion of potential new bus and rail transit corridors based on trips originating along a corridor enroute to the same municipality. The final discussion examined …

Modeling The Fate Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Wastewater Treatment Facilities; Implementation Of Volatilization Models In Envirocad, Vinita Chhahira

Theses

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments have identified wastewater treatment facilities as a major source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. VOCs present in wastewater discharges affect the quality of receiving waters, while emissions to the air affect downwind populations. The primary mechanisms involved in VOC removal from a wastewater treatment facility are volatilization and stripping, biodegradation, and sorption to either suspended or biological solids. Although many models have been developed to predict the fate of VOCs in wastewater treatment facilities, no model completely predicts emissions for an entire wastewater treatment facility. The focus of this work is to incorporate …

A Defect Detection Algorithm For Sequential And Parallel Computers, Ralf Hross

Theses

The comparison of images containing a single object of interest, where one of them contains a model object, is frequently used for defect detection/identification. This is often a problem of interest to industrial applications. To make this task more efficient, the implementation on parallel computers should be a major objective. This thesis introduces sequential and parallel versions of an algorithm that compares original(reference) and processed images in the time and frequency domains. The emphasis is on parallel implementation. This comparison may help to detect changes in images. Extracted data is also compared to database data in an attempt to pinpoint …

Effect Of Fiber-Matrix Coupling On The Mechanical Properties Of A Totally Bioabsorbable Composite, Barbaro Jesus Perez

Theses

The mechanical properties of a new class of bioabsorbable polymer-composite based on the amino acid tyrosine and calcium phosphate fibers were studied. The effect of the fiber aspect ratio on the elastic modulus of a discontinuous fiber composite was analyzed using the SMC composite micromechanics computer model. The mechanical stiffness of this polymer was found to be superior to that of poly-p-dioxanone, caprolactone and poly-o-ester.

The fiber surface was modified with methane plasma spray to improve the fiber-matrix coupling. The treated fiber composites had 16-40% higher tensile modulus than the untreated fiber composites. From the flexural test results it is …

The Architecture Of Ricardo Porro : Questions Of Form And Content, Mariano Alemany

Theses

Aside from the two Schools of the Arts built In Cuba during the early sixties, the work of Ricardo Porro is unknown to most American architects. This essay is intended to make available to an American audience a critical examination of Mr. Porro's work. His work consists not only of buildings which have been erected in Cuba, France and Liechtenstein, but also of numerous unbuilt projects. Ricardo Porro is not only an architect but also a painter, sculptor and cabinetmaker. He has also written various articles on architecture which have been published in European journals and, most importantly, he has …

Analysis Of A Design For Its Quality Manufacturability In Terms Of Misalignments And Fastener Related Problems, Abhinav Dhar

Theses

This study analyzes the relationship between design parameters established at the initial stage of the design process and the manufacturing quality problems that manifest themselves during production. Specifically, we study the relationship between design features and the occurrence of misalignment defects and fastener related problems.

This outcome of this work is a methodology, Design for Quality Manufacturability (DFQM). DFQM addresses the likelihood that defects will occur during the manufacture of a product in a standard plant. This is based on the premise that defects in assembled products are often influenced by some features of the design and/or assembly process. These …

Application Of Signal Processing Techniques For Measurement Of Muscle Fiber Conduction Velocity, Satheesh Kumar Swaminathan

Theses

The objectives of this study were to evaluate if muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) could be used as a reliable indicator of fatigue and to characterize the recovery of MFCV after a fatiguing contraction. The decline of MFCV with fatigue was modelled using linear regression and compared with the decline in median frequency (MF). It was found that the percent decline in MF with fatigue was greater than that of MFCV with fatigue and that the decline of MFCV was consistent in all subjects tested. It was thus determined that MFCV could be used as a reliable indicator of fatigue. …

Dream Tree, Kyoung-Choul Cha

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to sublimate the primitive images of nature. These images are based on my observation of nature's aesthetic value. I have developed an intimate relationship with nature, particularly with the tree. I have explored a variety of tree shapes as well as expressed their inherent liveliness. The outdoor sculptural pieces which make up the series "Dream Tree" are evidence of the connection between human lives and trees.

Memories Of Childhood, Yun-Ryoung Lee

Theses

None provided.

The Economical Feasibility Of Computer-To-Plate Technology For Use In Magazine Production, Chih-Ming Chen

Theses

Computer-to-Plate (CTP) technology has been used for newspaper and book production and been proved successful by several print houses. However these publications are mostly printed with less color and advertisments. Therefore, these fit into the niche market of CTP technolo gy. What about magazine production? Since magazine production normally requires more color, more advertisements, higher quality, can we still make profits from this new idea without a resulting loss of quality? State-of-the-art CTP technology is capable of producing high quality images, and large format. The time savings and labor savings are the biggest advantages. In addition to this, side profits …

Beyond The Appearance, Khontaporn Silapasathitwongs

Theses

None provided.

Asian And American Graphic Design: A Theoretical And Cultural Comparison, Aaron Liu

Theses

None provided.

Willard D. Morgan, Michael Shuter

Theses

None provided.

Energizing The Structure By Designing The Interior With The Currents Of The Space, Li-Chin Liu

Theses

None provided.

Secret Places, K. Leigh Taylor

Theses

None provided.

Synecdoche, Isabel Chicquor

Theses

None provided.

Electromechanical Surface Damping Combining Constrained Layer And Shunted Piezoelectric Matetrials With Passive Electrical Networks Of Second Order, Carlos Velazquez

Theses

An electromechanical surface damping (EMSD) technique is proposed. This technique combines two surface damping methods, the shunted piezoelectric-ceramic damping with the viscoelastic constrained layer damping (CLD). The damping contribution of the shunted piezoelectric intends to enhance the effective frequency range of the CLD. Piezoelectric ceramics provide similar damping characteristics to viscoelastic material when they are shunted with resonant electrical networks. A resonant shunting circuit provides the opportunity of tuning (shifting) the effective damping range of the piezoelectric into an arbitrary frequency, enhancing the damping at the vicinity of such frequency. Also, the EMSD technique proposes the use of a multiple …