Digital Commons Network^™

Autonomic Nervous System Evaluation Using Time-Frequency Analysis, Sanjay Fernando

Theses

Spectral analysis of heartrate variability (HRV) provided an estimate of the sympathetic and parasympatheticinfluences on heart rate without drugs or other invasive procedures.However, there are many situations where heart rate changed rapidlyover time and the control of those changes was of considerable interest.Time-frequency analysis was utilized to expand the concept of spectralanalysis of HRV to describe changes in vagal tone and sympatho-vagalbalance as a function of time. As a result the assessment of the autonomicnervous system during rapid changes in heart rate was made.

There were three advantagesto calculating vagal tone and sympatho-vagal balance by using timefrequencyanalysis. First, vagal tone …

Passive Radiosonde Transducer Design For Remote Pressure Sensing Applications, Yang Gao

Theses

Intracranial pressure can be measured to accuracies within 1 milliTorr using passive microtransponders that are micromachined using silicon as a base technology. These microtransponders can operate with either a dual-oscillator or a phase-locked loop frequency scanned control system.

The current work describes the design of a totally implantable microsensor for biomedical applications with the aim to monitor and measure the epidural intracranial pressure . The implanting microsensor is basically an RLC device in which capacitance varies with fluid pressure. The resonant frequency of RLC Series connected device varies with chemically etched diaphragm electrode spacing and thereby measures the variations with …

Form As Symbol: Allure And Defense, Alexandra Hart

Theses

In my thesis, I explore some recurrent ideas which I have become aware of in my work. The central idea of the work is to explore my fascination with the beauty that I find in organic form, specifically forms in nature which have a defensive function. Though the function of my work is not to defend, I explore the form itself in terms of its visual impact on the viewer. Another component of the work is my attempt to reconcile my respect and admiration for the jewelry that has been done in the past with the contemporary emphasis on creating …

Aging Archetypes In Latter Life: Mythic Characterizations Of Six Psychosocial Microstages, Bernadette Carol Randle

Theses

The use of myth to examine and explain the human condition is axiomatic in most cultures and traditions. One reason is myth and folklore frequently provide illuminating metaphors for the universal life themes of human experience. In western culture, literature is one of the more powerful transmitters of attitudes toward aging and psychological issues that confront the aged (e.g., mental and emotional declension, human interaction with the environment., and the impact of the environment on the aging individual). The purpose of this research is to examine popular and classical literature for representative archetypes that correspond to the predictable life stages …

Design And Characterization Of An Amperometric Glucose Detector For Flow Injection Analysis, Jean Wallace

Theses

An amperometric glucose detector, based on platinized membrane electrodes, for use in flow injection analysis has been designed and characterized. The platinized electrodes prepared for the sensor were constructed from a perfluorinated polymer matrix, Nafion 117, through an impregnation-reduction technique. This technique encompasses the incorporation of platinum (II) ions into the polymer, which are subsequently reduced to platinum (0). Once constructed, the platinized impregnated membrane (PIM) electrodes were characterized electrochemically, under both aqueous and non-aqueous conditions. The PIM electrodes were shown to preconcentrate ions of varying size and charge, as well as retain the complex ionic molecules necessary for mediation …

Heuristics For Selecting Gray Scale Morphological Structuring Elements, Paul Fetter

Theses

This thesis explores some heuristics for choosing 8 bit gray scale morphological structuring elements for reducing noise. The variables of size, shape and volume that enter into the choice of structuring elements create a very large number of possible structuring elements. Some general heuristics to guide the choice of an appropriate structuring element will make the task easier. Both the absolute error of the image and the appearance of the image will be used to judge the results. The experiments were performed on 3 images. Each of the images had noise added before processing; one set of data had 10 …

A Study On The Atmospheric Quality And Control In The Emirate Of Abu Dhabi, Sukaina Faisal Al-Wasity

Theses

Limited data are available on air pollution levels in Abu Dhabi Emirate in general. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the level of atmospheric contaminants in the environment of Abu Dhabi Emirate. This includes measurement of suspended particulate matter less than 10 micron (SPM₁₀) in Al Ain City during normal and stormy conditions and measurement of the same air solids besides the gaseous pollutants: ozone, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and methane and non-methane hydrocarbons in Abu Dhabi City and follow up of hourly variation in their concentration. The study further includes collecting sufficient data …

Modeling, Simulation And Hemodynamic Response Analysis Of Arteriovenous Malformation Occlusion, Huijuan Mao

Theses

The cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation system (AVM) or fistula, is a network with large caliber vessels that yields an alternate pathway for blood flow between arteries and veins. Neurosurgical and interventional radiological techniques are the common way to treat AVM patients so that the normal capillary blood flow would be restored. Several patients who underwent this procedure had different degrees of brain swelling and subsequent hemorrhage. To understand this, Blesser et al. developed a simplified model to simulate the effect of AVM occlusion on cerebrovascular pressure and flow. Their model does not include the cerebrovascular regulatory mechanism which is an important …

The Application Of Stereolithography To The Creation Of Molecular Models Of Amiloride And Its Analogues, Thomas John Busanic

Theses

Stereolithography, a process by which a computer-guided Ultraviolet (UV) laser is applied onto a liquid monomer resin to form a solid polymer, was used to create solid models of amiloride and two of its analogues. The Cartesian coordinates used as input for the orientation of each atom in a molecule were calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory. Since the structures of the molecules are calculated in this fashion, they represent a more accurate representation of the molecules than that provided by standard molecular modeling kits.

The original purpose of this work was to assist a blind chemist in appreciating …

Managing Occupational Hazards Confronting Healthcare Workers, Kiran A. Mody

Theses

The primary goal of this thesis is to identify, evaluate, and control occupational hazards that may exist in health care facilities.

Due to the complex nature of health care facilities, healthcare workers are always challenged by an imposing group of occupational hazards. The magnitude and diversity of these hazards, and the constantly changing nature of government regulations make it difficult to guarantee absolute protection and accuracy of the material contained herein. However, awareness of the risks, compliance with basic preventive measures, and adequate interventions are all essential components to consider in protecting healthcare workers.

Therefore, potential health effects of various …

Parallel Exact Enumeration Of Self-Avoiding Walk On Cubic Lattices And Its Applications To Protein Folding Studies, Anek Vorapanya

Theses

Exact enumeration of self-avoiding walk on many lattices have been studied extensively recently. Even a short chain polymer (about 30 monomers) represented as a chain of cubic lattice sites requires a considerable amount of computer time to exhaustively search for all unique conformations. However, self-avoiding walk process can be modified such that it exhibits a high degree of independence among subprocesses. Parallel implementation of such subprocesses can reduce a great amount of enumeration time. Parallel enumeration makes longer chain enumeration possible.

Enumerating only unique conformations requires that all rotation and mirror conformations be removed. An algorithm to avoid generating such …

Derivation Of Respiration From Electrocardiogram During Heart Rate Variability Studies, Lingeng Zhao

Theses

A method was developed to derive the respiration signal from the ECG signal based on the observation that the body-surface ECG is influenced by electrode motion relative to the heart and that fluctuations in the mean cardiac electrical axis accompany respiration. S-Plus programs were developed to calculate the changes in the value of the mean cardiac electrical axis during respiration from a two lead ECG signal and to generate a continuous ECG-derived respiratory signal from the angle information.

Data were taken from 9 healthy subjects during rest, paced breathing and exercise. The respiration was derived from the recorded ECG signals. …

3-D Reconstruction And Morphological Analysis Of Normal Rectum, Saritha Sundaresan

Theses

There is no documentation of the 3-D dimensions of normal rectum. We present a method for the architectural and volumetric analysis of the rectum which makes use of a computerized 3-D reconstruction and CT scans of cross-sections of the rectum. The technique is simple, fast, yet potentially reliable. An attempt has been made to calculate the volume, area and average diameter of non-distended rectums (normal). Once we can standardize the technique, then we can study dimensions of the rectum in adult males and females. This thesis constitutes a unified presentation of the essential aspects of the method used in this …

A Study Of The Biofiltration Process Under Shock-Loading Conditions, Helen Androutsopoulou

Theses

Biofiltration is a new technology for treating airstreams contaminated with emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It employs porous particles which are placed in reactors, in packed-bed configurations, after appropriate microorganisms have been immobilized on the solid support.

Biofiltration involves complex processes, and is not yet well understood. In this thesis the response of biofilter units to quantitative and qualitative changes in the inlet airstreams was examined. Steady state data were also analyzed through the use of an existing detailed model.

Experiments were performed with two small-scale biofilters, and with ethanol and butanol as model compounds. Each biofilter was dedicated …

Sfumato And Conjunction, Scott Joseph Dohring

Theses

For the studio section of my MFA in painting thesis, I have produced a series of paintings on canvas concerned with non-objective impasto/textured color fields, some include representation in line, abstract overlays/underlays, while some involve division of the canvas into abutting characteristic approaches. The mediums used include water based & oil based paints, textural compounds (gel medium, joint compound, mastic, talc), pencil, and occasionally found objects. In this paper, I shall analyze and discuss impressions, concepts, and meditations relevant to my thesis work in particular and to the issue of reconciliation between formalist and post-modern approaches to theory/criticism in general …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Shannon O'Neil

Theses

None provided.

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 …

Application Of The Wavelet Transform To Biomedical Signals, Karl O. Hauck

Theses

The basic concepts and fundamentals of the wavelet signal representation were examined. The orthonormal wavelet was selected for this project after being compared to various types of wavelets. The orthonormal wavelet was chosen due to the equal time and frequency resolution exhibited in the wavelet coefficients. Programs were written in Matlab to implement the orthonormal wavelet in developing wavelet coefficients for a given signal. The programs include the conditions for an orthonormal wavelet in and which produce the wavelet filters g(n) and h(n). The wavelet filters were then incorporated into another program that applied Mallat's multiresolution algorithm for a given …

Geotechnical Characterization Of Water Treatment Plant Residuals, Zhengyuan Xia

Theses

Evaluation of engineering properties of water treatment plant (WTP) residuals is a critical part in predicting their behaviors in monofills. In this study, ten WTP residual samples were collected from ten water treatment plants across the United States. Their general chemical/physical and geotechnical properties including liquid and plastic limits, compaction) shear strength, permeability and durability characteristics were determined.

It was observed that the geotechnical properties of WTP residuals are influenced by various factors such as mineral particle composition, organic content, type and amount of chemical additives) and time of aging, etc. Based on this study, the behavior of WTP residual …

Bio-Oxidation Of A Model Voc In Air, Jeong Seop Shim

Theses

This study was performed to find a satisfactory regime of operation for the vapor phase bio-oxidation of ethyl alcohol, a model volatile organic compound (VOC), in a specially designed bioreactor. Ethanol was selected as a model compound representing bakery oven gas pollution. A spirally wound bioreactor module was used within which was immobilized a mixed bacterial culture from aerobic sludge. The activated sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants readily attached with no pretreatment on the surface of the spiral biosupport which is a polymeric sheet.

The parameters studied were air flow rate and inlet concentrations of ethanol. Ethanol was injected, …

Modeling Arsenic Transformation In Clay Soils, Chao-Yi Chung

Theses

This project is designed to estimate the possible transformation forms of arsenic in clay soil. A computer model was established to simulate arsenic transformations. The amount of arsenic species adsorbed, dissolved, and the predominant soluble species are calculated by the model, which is mainly based on the Freundlich adsorption isotherm, solubility data collected by Keaton and Kardos, and pH-Eh diagram established by Ferguson and Garvis. The computer language used is Turbo PASCAL version 5.5.

The clay soil environment is considered to be in standard state: 25°C 1 atm. Environmental factors of the soil system which are accounted for by the …

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 …

Contour Extraction From Hvem Image Of Microvessel Using Active Contour Models, Manping Xiao

Theses

This thesis reports the research results on automatic contour extraction from high voltage electron microscope (HVEM) image of thick cross section montages of small blood vessels. The previous work on this subject, which was based on the conventional edge detection operations combined with edge linking, has proven inadequate to describe the inner structural compartments of microvessels. In this thesis, an active contour model (commonly referred to as "Snakes") has been applied to advance the previous work. Active contour models have proven themselves to be a powerful and flexible paradigm for many problems in image understanding, especially in contour extraction from …

Study On The Remediation Of Organic Soil Contaminated With Polychlorinated Biphenyls Using A Variable Frequency Microwave Furnace, Lili Zou

Theses

The development of new and innovative remediation technologies for soil contaminated with Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) is necessary to fulfill the need of cleanup of contaminated sites. In the past eight years the Laboratory for Microwave treatment as Hazardous Substance Management Research Center has investigated the use of Microwave energy to remediate contaminated soils. A major drawback of using single frequencies of the microwave range is the non-uniformity of the electromagnetic field. In this thesis a Variable Frequency Microwave Furnace (operating between 2.40 and 7.50 GHz) is used to improve the uniformity of the field. A new method is used to …

The Use Of Cod As An Indicator For Evaluation Of Pretreatment Of Nitrocellulose With Acid Hydrolysis, Han-Chung Lee

Theses

Nitrocellulose is a toxic waste by definition. It is widely used in military and commercial industries. Nitrocellulose fines escaped from the manufacture's process has created problems in receiving water. However, little information is available for the treatment of nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is difficult to treat by microorganisms without any pretreatment. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to use acid hydrolysis to break down this material before biological treatment, and find the optimal operation conditions in this process.

In this work, the results indicate that percentage of nitrocellulose decomposing in hydrolysis depends on types of acid, acid concentration, reaction temperature, …

Patient, Disease And Surgical Parameters In The Prediction Of Histologic Nodes And Recurrence Of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Adolfo A. Ferreira

Theses

This research explores the impact of a variety patient, disease and lesion parameters upon the probability of post surgery recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma and the involvement of histologic nodes. It was found that parameters such as number of nodes, Lymph Vascular Space Invasion (LVS), figo stage, growth rate and host response as well as tumor thickness, depth of invasion and lesion size are good predictors. Other parameters such as cell type and condylomas were found to correlate minimally with recurrence and histologic nodes. Surgical parameters such as surgical margin and distance surgical margin were found to have poor correlation …

Biomechanical Comparison Of Interosseous And Subperiosteal Flexor Tendon Reattachment, Alisa Beth Olin

Theses

This study was undertaken to biomechanically compare the interosseous and subperiosteal distal flexor tendon reattachment techniques. Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent division of the right second and third hind limb profundus flexor tendon distal to the insertion of the superficial flexor. All tendons were repaired using the Kleinnert-Bunnell configuration with a 5-0 nylon tied over a cotton pad on the dorsum of the digit. In half of the animals, the second profundus was reattached into a hole in the middle phalanx and the third profundus was reattached after periosteal stripping of the middle phalanx. The other animals underwent subperiosteal …

A Study Of In Vitro Phase Aberration Measurements In Ultrasonic Imaging, Todd Huck

Theses

Phase aberrations in soft tissues have been shown in previous studies to create disturbing degradations in the point spread function (psf) of ultrasonic phased array imaging systems. These aberrations are caused by spatial velocity fluctuations due to the inhomogeneous nature of soft tissue. Certain time delay corrections are applied to the signal received by each element of a phased array based on the assumption of constant velocity. Small deviations from this assumption in a soft tissue can result in spatial fluctuation in time delay and have a negative effect on the corrected output. The solution is a two step process. …

The Development Of A Pollution Prevention Plan, Bruce H. Litzsinger

Theses

This study focuses on the reasons for implementing a pollution prevention program, and the format that such an effort should take . The numerous laws and regulations created by government place a significant burden on the manufacture, handling, and use of hazardous substances, and significant resources are required of industry as a result.

Preventing pollution makes economic sense by increasing operating efficiencies and reducing the costs associated with pollution . Congress and the EPA have made pollution prevention a current priority. The EPA is incorporating pollution prevention into all aspects of the Agency's activities . With regard to industry, the …

Developing A Curriculum For Studies Of Native North Americans, Lynda Marie Means

Theses

The purpose of this project is to introduce, to a student at a University level, the Natives of North America. It is only through an in depth study of a people that one might truly know them and understand their ways. One way in which to accomplish this is through implementing a curriculum of North American Studies. The following is an example of such a curriculum proposed for the LCIE Program at Lindenwood College.

Chapter One introduces the reasoning and personal insights that brought this proposal to fruition. It contains personal background and discusses the need for such a class …