Digital Commons Network^™

Masters Thesis, Sarah Laveck

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a visual language inspired by microscopic organic life forms. I will do this by creating and viewing slides underneath a microscope. From the microscope I will visually record what inspires me from that microscopic world. I will then use those drawings for inspiration and create paintings based on those life forms. Ultimately creating for myself a visual language of forms that I use to communicate artistically. Along with the scientific research of creating and viewing slides on the microscope, I will research abstract expressionists and color field artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Georgia …

Design Verification Of Expansion Joints Using Finite Element, Khoi Trinh

Theses

An elastomeric expansion joint is a flexible connector fabricated of elastomers, fabrics and, in some cases, metallic reinforcements. The function of the expansion joint is to relieve stress in piping systems due to thermal fluctuation, vibration and/or piping settlement. In safety related applications, such as piping systems in nuclear power plants where the performance of the expansion joint is critical, the design must be verified to ensure all requirements are met. The objective of this project is to implement finite element as a design tool to aid the design and analysis of the expansion joints. An extensive study of a …

Creativity And Renewal A Personal Journey, Tatiana Evanitsky

Theses

None provided.

Preferences And Tolerances In Color Image Reproduction, Scot Fernandez

Theses

Observer preferences in the color reproduction of pictorial images have been a topic of debate for many years. Through a series of three psychophysical experiments we are trying to better understand the differences and trends in observer preferences for pictorial images, determine if cultural biases on preference exist, and finally generate a set of preferred color reproduced images for future experimentation and evaluation. The first experiment was a survey of observers rating the importance of commonly used image characteristics terms in correlation to color image quality. The data collected demonstrated that observer preferences remain relatively constant while judging color attributes …

A Vascular Flora Of Choccolocco Creek: Calhoun, Cleburne, And Talladega Counties, Alabama, Loretta Richardson Weninegar

Theses

A study of the vascular flora of the wetland species of Choccolocco Creek, its floodplain, and other sensitive areas within the Choccolocco Creek watershed was conducted from March 1994 to May 2002. The creek, which originates in the Talladega National Forest in Cleburne County, is located in northeast Alabama. It flows in a south/southwest direction along the eastern border of Calhoun County and across northern Talladega County to its confluence with Logan Martin Lake near Talladega, Alabama. The floodplain occupies 6,514.67 hectares of the watershed that consists of 97,128 hectares of land in the three county study area.

The bulk …

Meeting Places, Christine Holtz

Theses

None provided.

Switching Voltage Of Micro-Beam Actuators - Analysis, Fabrication And Test, Eui-Shin Kim

Theses

This thesis introduces an analysis, fabrication and testing of a //-cantilever. First, the theoretical method used to analyze the deflection of a micro-beam with two supports and switching voltage is introduced. The results are compared to an I-DEAS simulation. Second, the theoretical approach is modified in order to be suitable for the actual //- cantilever beam model because the material, geometry and the type of structure have been changed. The switching voltage of each beam size is predicted using the modified method. Third, a series of single //-cantilever beams are designed according to the MEMS design rules. Using the facilities …

Polycrystalline Silicon Thermal Actuators Integrated With Photodiode, Kevin Munger

Theses

A thermal actuator (TA) is the thermal compliment of electrostatic actuators. A TA has several advantages over other microactuation methods. They can provide relatively large forces (^N) and large displacements (>10 jam) at CMOS compatible voltages and currents. The main disadvantage of a TA is it large power consumption. A TA can be used in basic building-block MEM devices such as stepper motors, optical-component positioners, and grippers. The TA shown below in Figure 36 converts electrical energy into mechanical via ohmic heating and deflects due to asymmetric heating. The disparity in the widths of the Cold (wide) beam and …

Monitoring Of Air Quality In Abu-Dhabi City 1998-2001, Fatima Yahya Abdullah Ahmed Al-Aidrous

Theses

Documentation of air pollution and sources in the emirate of Abu Dhabi has never been reviewed in terms of its effect on health. No research by means of a population-based study has been conducted in order to define the important epidemiological characteristics of air pollution in human health. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the levels of air pollutants in the environment of Abu Dhabi Emirate, and the effects of air pollution on human health. Additionally, a comprehensive time-series analysis was performed on the air quality data for a period of four years (1998-2001)

The study was undertaken …

Found Sound: Music From Non-Traditional Sourttce, Jonathan Rodgers

Theses

To produce original music made from unrelated, random sounds I record myself. Sounds will be altered, dissected, multiplied, and reassembled to create something new. This exploration will encourage people to not only listen to sound in a new way, but to look at objects in their surroundings differently also.

Identifying, Barbara Dimartini

Theses

None provided.

Discovery Of Time - From Abstract Concept To Computer-Generated Visualization, Jui-Ying Chang

Theses

None provided.

Toner Usage Characteristics Of Electrophotography, Jon Cardin

Theses

Accurately estimating the amount of image area on a printed page provides a necessary factor for determining the cost of a given printed job. In conventional printing, the cost of the ink is relatively low in comparison to other factors such as paper. In electrophotography, having the cost associated with the colorant is substantially higher per sheet, it is more important to obtain a more accurate estimate of the amount of toner to be used. This higher toner cost often rivals paper for the highest cost-per-sheet item. The scope of this study is to determine what functional relationship exists between …

Random Collection Of Experience, Christine Adams

Theses

None provided.

Low Salinity Flooding In A Selected Carbonate Reservoir: Experimental Approach, Mohamed Yehia Mohamed Mahmoud

Theses

Low-salinity water flooding LoSal^TM has been used to improve oil recovery for many decades. Historically, the mechanisms behind this improvement in oil recovery were attributed to the pressure maintenance and displacement of oil by injected water, i.e. physical mechanism. Recently, evidence from laboratory and field tests indicated that water flooding also involves chemical processes and that modifying of the injection brine salinity and its ionic composition can significantly impact the oil recovery. Several theories regarding the mechanism of LoSal^TM flooding have been discussed in the literature. These include interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration (cation exchange), change in pH …

Support Vector Machines For Image And Electronic Mail Classification, Matthew Woitaszek

Theses

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have demonstrated accuracy and efficiency in a variety of binary classification applications including indoor/outdoor scene categorization of consumer photographs and distinguishing unsolicited commercial electronic mail from legitimate personal communications. This thesis examines a parallel implementation of the Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) method of training SVMs resulting in multiprocessor speedup subject to a decrease in accuracy dependent on the data distribution and number of processors. Subsequently the SVM classification system was applied to the image labeling and e-mail classification problems. A parallel implementation of the image classification system's color histogram, color coherence, and edge histogram feature extractors …

Mythological Explorations, Christi Veitch

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the personal mythological journey through abstract paintings within a psychological, or mythological context.

Crystallization Kinetics, Structural Parameters And Optical Properties Of Some Semiconducting Oxide Glasses Doped With Rare Earth And Transition Metal Ions, Khawlah Mohammad Ahmad Al-Yahyaei

Theses

No abstract provided.

Synthesis, Characterization And Applications Of Some Conducting Polymers, Fatma Yousif Mohamed Balhey

Theses

Conducting polymers emerged as a new class of materials by the end of the sixties. Since then many efforts have been made to put these materials to

industrial use. Among the achievements are their applications in the semiconductor industry, medical field, chemical and biological sensors, etc. A

different track that alleviated the prospects of the application of conducting

polymers is the modification of the polymer film, namely through the inclusion of metallic moieties for specific target usage. In this thesis the candidate aimed

to synthesis well established and extensively studied class of electrically conductive polymer, 3-methylthiophene. The polymer was then …

Friends, Family, And Fiction, Derica Sonnon

Theses

None provided.

A Self Regenerating Diesel Emissions Particulate Trap Using A Non-Thermal Plasma, Bryce Rampersad

Theses

There is great concern about the adverse effects associated with exposure to diesel exhaust. There is increasing evidence that diesel exhaust particulate matter (PM) is carcinogenic and may cause cancer. Non-cancerous lung damage and respiratory problems are also associated with exposure to diesel exhaust as well as acid rain and smog. Diesel exhaust PM is very easily respirable once emitted into the atmosphere and therefore poses a significant health problem. A diesel engine emissions particle removal system which utilizes Electrostatic Precipitation (ESP) and Non Thermal Plasma (NTP) technologies was studied for trapping and oxidizing micron sized particles (0.01 to 10 …

Stereo Matching Algorithm By Propagation Of Correspondences And Stereo Vision Instrumentation, Peerajak Witoonchart

Theses

A new image processing method is described for measuring the 3-D coordinates of a complex, biological surface. One of the problems in stereo vision is known as the accuracy-precision tradeoff problem. This thesis proposes a new method that promises to solve this problem. To do so, two issues are addressed. First, stereo vision instrumentation methods are described. This instrumentation includes a camera system as well as camera calibration, rectification, matching and triangulation. Second, the approach employs an array of cameras that allow accurate computation of the depth map of a surface by propagation of correspondences through pair-wise camera views.

The …

Agricultural Land Reform Policy In Western Ukraine : The Influence Of Environmental History And Ethics, Andrew B. Wowk

Theses

Agricultural land privatization is an important environmental and economic policy within Ukraine, which is transitioning to a market-based economy. This thesis studied the influence of bioregional environmental history and environmental ethics on land privatization in Western Ukraine, within Lviv oblast, through historical research and field research of private farmers.

Historical research showed that due to its environmental history, the study area was particularly receptive to land privatization after Ukraine's independence in 1991. Field research indicated that farmers in the study area generally see private ownership of land as better for humans and the environment than collective land ownership. The farmers …

A Computational Model Of Spasticity Based On A Decoupling Of The Alpha And Gamma Efferents, Bruno A. Mantilla

Theses

It is generally accepted that spasticity results from changes in the excitability of the stretch reflex. This change lowers the threshold of the motoneurons of the spinal cord where the integration of a signal from velocity/position sensors is processed and then fed back to the contracting muscle (alphaextrafusal and gamma-intrafusal fibers). The stretch reflex depends on the initial length of the muscle, the stretch velocity and voluntary activity. The exact sequence of the triggering events remains unknown, is poorly understood and as a result is controversial. The clinical classification scales are mainly subjective and by definition, inaccurate.

This computational model …

Experiments With A Galton Board, Christopher Oshman

Theses

Galton boards have been used for over a half-century as a tool to illustrate the formation of Gaussian shaped distributions as well as the Central Limit Theorem. Here, the Galton board was used to study the spontaneous percolation of a particle through an ordered array of rigid scatterers. The apparatus that was designed and fabricated provided a means to release 1/8" diameter spheres one at a time in a controlled and precise manner at any location on the board. The three experimental variables used in these experiments were the particle material, the release height, and the board tilt. angle. The …

Impact Of Truck Regulation And 65mph Speed Limit On Truck Accidents In New Jersey, Rajat G. Rajbhandari

Theses

The state of New Jersey enacted two regulations with significant importance to the highway operations: 65 mph speed limit and truck restriction on the National Network. The speed limit of 65mph was used on limited sections of interstate system highways with an objective to reduce energy consumption by vehicles and truck restriction was used on the interstate system and other state highway system to reduce large truck accidents and thereby increase truck safety. In this research, the safety impacts of these two regulations on truck crashes were studied.

The research focused on monthly truck crashes along the highway sections where …

Dry Particle Coating And Granulation In Rotating Fluidized Beds, Madhuri Kolli

Theses

The practicability of using rotating fluidized bed as dry particle coater and granulator is investigated in this study. Dry particle coating, in which fine guest particles are coated onto bigger host particles in the absence of binders or solvents, is studied for various systems of host and guest particles. Coating results are explained by considering the collisions between the host and guest particles and among themselves. Balance between collisional energy and adhesion energy is suggested to be the limiting condition for the adhesion and hence the coating of guest particles onto host particles. It is observed that the experimental and …

Novel Synthesis Of 2-Methyl-3, 4, 5-Trichloropyrimidine, Daniel M. Goldman

Theses

A one-step synthesis of the heterocycle 2-methyl-3,4,5-trichloropyrimidine by the cycloaddition of hexachloropropene with acetamidine hydrochloride in methanolic NaOH was attempted. The product was dark amber oil. A by-product of this reaction was sodium chloride. The proposed reaction was expected to proceed via a SN2 nucleophilic displacement of three chlorine atoms on hexachloropropene by acetamidine, the nucleophile. The proposed driving force for this transformation is the lone pair of electrons on the amidine nitrogen along with the electron withdrawing ability of three chlorines on hexachloropropene which induces a partial positive charge on the carbon. It is proposed that the chlorine atoms …

An Evolving Approach To Learning In Problem Solving And Program Development : The Distributed Learning Model, Idania Espinosa

Theses

Technological advances are paving the way for improvements in many sectors of society. The US education system needs to undergo a transformation of existing pedagogical methods to maximize utilization of new technologies. Traditional education has primarily been teacher driven, lectured-based in one location. Advances in technology are challenging existing paradigms by developing tools and educational environments that reach diverse learning styles and surpass the boundaries of current teaching methods.

Distributed learning is an emerging paradigm today that has promise to contribute significantly to learning and improve overall academic success. This research first explores various systems that provide different modes of …

Recent Advances In Silicon Light Emitting Diodes, Aravind Balakrishnan

Theses

A silicon based light emitting diode (LED) is a new gateway for combining optoelectronics with CMOS integrated circuits. The choice of silicon is limited due to its indirect band gap nature. There are new approaches for improving emission efficiencies in Si-LED to nearly 1% at room temperature. Boron implantation has been employed to introduce dislocation array and as a p-type dopant to form p-n Junction in an n-type Si substrate. The device operates as a conventional LED under forward bias. The temperature dependence of radiative recombination rate is addressed by Varshni empirical formula. The difference between the energy at which …