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Theses and Dissertations

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Salinger And The Phases Of War, Johnson Elizabeth Downing Apr 2011

Salinger And The Phases Of War, Johnson Elizabeth Downing

Theses and Dissertations

A study of the phases of war present in Salinger's stories - "The Hang of It," "Personal Notes of an Infantryman," "Soft Boiled Sergeant," "Last Day of the Last Furlough," "Once a Week Won't Kill You," A Boy in France," "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise," "The Stranger," "A Young Girl in 1941 With No Waist at All," "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," "A Girl I Knew," "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut," and "For Esme - With Love and Squalor." The role of war in each of these stories follows a cycle that reflects Salinger's own war experience, as well as the …

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Role Of Two-Component System Response Regulators In Virulence Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Tigr4 In Infective Endocarditis, My Trinh Apr 2011

Role Of Two-Component System Response Regulators In Virulence Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Tigr4 In Infective Endocarditis, My Trinh

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococci resident in the oral cavity have been linked to infective endocarditis (IE). While viridans streptococci are commonly studied and associated with IE, less research has been focused on Streptococcus pneumoniae. Two-component systems (TCSs), consisting of a histidine kinase (HK) protein and response regulator (RR) protein, are bacterial signaling systems that may mediate S. pneumoniae TIGR4 strain virulence in IE. To test this hypothesis, TCS RR mutants of TIGR4 were examined in vivo through use of rabbit models. There were 14 RR proteins identified and 13 RR mutants synthesized because SP_1227 was found to be essential. The requirement of the …

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Resolution, Jason Robinson Apr 2011

Resolution, Jason Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an exploration of the concepts and motivations behind the video installation and performance that made up my MFA Thesis Exhibition. My primary interest as a filmmaker is in the “invisible art” of editing. In my practice I employ iconic imagery such as old home movies and classic Hollywood films, as my source material. This “found footage” is deconstructed, drastically altered, and reassembled into a new movie that tells my story while still maintaining the memory of the original images. My process and philosophy concerning the salvage and repurposing of video is analyzed and discussed. I also examine …

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Targeting The Endocannabinoid System To Reduce Nociception, Lamont Booker Apr 2011

Targeting The Endocannabinoid System To Reduce Nociception, Lamont Booker

Theses and Dissertations

Pain of various etiologies (e.g., visceral, inflammatory) can be a debilitating disorder that presents a problem of clinical relevance. While it is known that ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the primary psychoactive constituent found in marijuana produces analgesia in various rodent models of pain, its pharmacological properties are overshadowed by its psychomimetic effects. THC is the primary phytocannabinoid found in marijuana though other prevalent constituents such as the phytocannabinoids (e.g., cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)) may possess antinociceptive actions without the psychomimetic effects associated with THC. Indeed, these phytocannabinoids act upon the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that is comprised of the …

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Parasitic Interiors, Michael Kanasink Apr 2011

Parasitic Interiors, Michael Kanasink

Theses and Dissertations

This project is an experiment in the adaptive reuse of an Art Deco style manufacturing facility in Richmond, VA. The building has fallen into disrepair and has been inhabited by two different owners over the years, but the structure remains very much as it did when it was erected in 1946. I will propose adapting to the defunct space, a forward thinking school based on hands-on, creative learning. This school will challenge accepted pedagogies and serve as an exapmple of future learning. I have always looked as adaptive reuse interior design as a parasitic form of designing. The new program …

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Electrophysiological Characterization Of Enteric Neurons Isolated From The Immortomouse, Edward G. Hawkins Apr 2011

Electrophysiological Characterization Of Enteric Neurons Isolated From The Immortomouse, Edward G. Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

The availability of murine genetic models is extremely advantageous to studying gastrointestinal function, but the benefits afforded by studying enteric neurons in mice has been hindered by their accessibility. Fetal (E13) and 2 day post-natal (P2) enteric neuron cell lines (IM-FEN and IM-PEN, respectively) were recently developed from the H-2Kb-tsA58 immortomouse. Our goal was to identify the electrophysiological properties of these cell lines and clarify their utility as a model of enteric neurons. IM-PEN cells stained positively for the neuron specific markers βIII-tubulin and PGP9.5 and were negative for the glial cell marker S100. Detection of mRNA for TRPA1, TRPV1, …

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Processing And Classification Of Physiological Signals Using Wavelet Transform And Machine Learning Algorithms, Abed Al-Raoof Bsoul Apr 2011

Processing And Classification Of Physiological Signals Using Wavelet Transform And Machine Learning Algorithms, Abed Al-Raoof Bsoul

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last century, physiological signals have been broadly analyzed and processed not only to assess the function of the human physiology, but also to better diagnose illnesses or injuries and provide treatment options for patients. In particular, Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (BP) and impedance are among the most important biomedical signals processed and analyzed. The majority of studies that utilize these signals attempt to diagnose important irregularities such as arrhythmia or blood loss by processing one of these signals. However, the relationship between them is not yet fully studied using computational methods. Therefore, a system that extract and combine …

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Speaking Subjects: Beckett’S Not I, Rushdie’S The Satanic Verses, And Coetzee’S Foe, Jake Khoury Apr 2011

Speaking Subjects: Beckett’S Not I, Rushdie’S The Satanic Verses, And Coetzee’S Foe, Jake Khoury

Theses and Dissertations

In repositioning Beckett’s Not I in relation to Rushdie and Coetzee, I show that The Satanic Verses and Foe suggest approaches to language similar to Beckett’s play, insofar as each text interrogates the ability of the marginalized speaking subject to maintain control of his or her voice, finding that the speaking subject’s voice is constantly infused with the voices of others. Additionally, I demonstrate Beckett’s relevance to the postcolonial environment and delineate convergences and divergences in how Rushdie and Coetzee formulate the voices, bodies, and identities of marginalized and postcolonial speaking subjects.

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On Things And Margins, Will Machin Apr 2011

On Things And Margins, Will Machin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration into an alternate ground for discourse. It is an exploration of the edges of the possibilities of words, the centers of margins, and the question of the lives of objects in this time of abundant cast-offs. The truths and limits of an emerging globalized multi-polarity of culture, are put in play. The secret lives of things are brought into the same room as words. The potential for radical landscape is considered.

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Involvement Of P53 In The S-Phase Checkpoint During Nucleotide Deficiencies, Cortney Heyer Apr 2011

Involvement Of P53 In The S-Phase Checkpoint During Nucleotide Deficiencies, Cortney Heyer

Theses and Dissertations

Several classes of antimetabolites have been developed for the treatment of cancer, including numerous inhibitors of nucleotide biosynthesis. N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA) and hydroxyurea (HU) are two antimetabolites that inhibit nucleotide biosynthesis; PALA inhibits de novo pyrimidine synthesis and HU inhibits the conversion of ribonucleotide diphosphates to deoxyribonucleotide diphosphates. Due to the similar mechanisms, it was thought that cancer cells would respond similarly to HU and PALA treatment. However, studies in this dissertation revealed strikingly different responses to either HU or PALA treatment in HCT116 cells. A cytoprotective S-phase arrest was activated upon HU treatment while PALA treatment failed to activate the …

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A Speculative Approach To Parallelization In Particle Swarm Optimization, Matthew J. Gardner Apr 2011

A Speculative Approach To Parallelization In Particle Swarm Optimization, Matthew J. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has previously been parallelized primarily by distributing the computation corresponding to particles across multiple processors. In this thesis we present a speculative approach to the parallelization of PSO that we refer to as SEPSO. In our approach, we refactor PSO such that the computation needed for iteration t+1 can be done concurrently with the computation needed for iteration t. Thus we can perform two iterations of PSO at once. Even with some amount of wasted computation, we show that this approach to parallelization in PSO often outperforms the standard parallelization of simply adding particles to the …

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Embody - Encode, Mary Catherine Brooks Apr 2011

Embody - Encode, Mary Catherine Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

According to Walter Murch, sound designer, “The clearest example of encoded sound is speech. The clearest example of embodied sound is music.” In image, object and performance I have been exploring the embodiment of the encoded through the graphic representation of symbols (illustrate), the manifestation of symbols through material construction (embody), the activation of symbolized meaning though performance (enact), and the dematerialization of form and democratic dispersal of information through shared experience (engage). This methodological approach aims to transform metaphysics into physical being as a mode for researching energetics and abstract communication by bringing theory into practice where it can …

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Based On A True Story, Mary Elkins Apr 2011

Based On A True Story, Mary Elkins

Theses and Dissertations

Trying to remember is a form of forgetting. Memory fades, changes meaning, and disappears over time. While trying to find other ways to preserve stories about my family, it occurred to me that I could recreate what I remember in clay. I am creating collections of physical mementos of the memories that fill my head, focusing mainly on my childhood. Remembering is in itself an act of forgetting, and thus this is my memory preservation kit. I am recording memories of my family for posterity in clay before I have a chance to forget.

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Adam10 Exacerbation Of Allergic Disease Is Potentially Explained By Its Role In Cd23 Exosomal Sorting., Joel Mathews Apr 2011

Adam10 Exacerbation Of Allergic Disease Is Potentially Explained By Its Role In Cd23 Exosomal Sorting., Joel Mathews

Theses and Dissertations

CD23, the natural negative regulator of IgE, has been shown to be involved in asthma progression through its regulation of IgE. To investigate if its sheddase, ADAM10, is also involved in asthma progression, three mouse models were utilized; an IgE/mast cell dependent model, an IgE dependent, mast cell independent model and a mast cell and IgE independent model. Experimental asthma was then induced in mice which were selectively deficient for ADAM10 in B cells (ADAM10-/-) and compared to WT controls. The ADAM-/- mice had decreased signs of asthma, including eosinophilia, AHR and IgE synthesis in the IgE dependent model compared …

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The Effects Of Sdf-1Α Treatment On The Migration Of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells After Traumatic Brain Injury, Corey Evans Apr 2011

The Effects Of Sdf-1Α Treatment On The Migration Of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells After Traumatic Brain Injury, Corey Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability among young adults and has been a significant field in medical research over the past decades. Intensive studies focusing on how to repair tissue damage resulting from head injuries have discovered that the central nervous system (CNS) retains a regenerative capacity throughout life due to the persistent presence of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/NPCs) in the neurogenic regions. In the normal brain, cells generated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) migrate along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb and cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) …

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Objectionable Team Nicknames: Determining The Likelihood Of Selling The Issue Of Banning Them In Virginia High Schools, Pamela Taylor Apr 2011

Objectionable Team Nicknames: Determining The Likelihood Of Selling The Issue Of Banning Them In Virginia High Schools, Pamela Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the personal and situational factors that contribute to a high school principal's willingness to sell the issue of objectionable team nicknames to their school division administration for the purposes of banning them. Based on the literature review, nine hypotheses were developed regarding the factors that influence the issue-selling process in a centralized, hierarchical organization. The issue-selling model utilized in this study suggested that organizational support, top management openness, organizational norms, probability of success, and image risk would be determinants of willingness to sell the issue (Mullen, 2005). This study utilized a mixed-method research design. Personal interviews were …

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Listeners' Ability To Identify The Gender Of Preadolescent Children Across Multiple Linguistic Contexts, Sharalee Ann Blunck Apr 2011

Listeners' Ability To Identify The Gender Of Preadolescent Children Across Multiple Linguistic Contexts, Sharalee Ann Blunck

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether 20 listeners could identify the gender of 10 preadolescent children from speech samples. An additional aim was to evaluate whether listeners identified children more accurately when listening to speech samples when more linguistic context was available. The listeners were presented with a total of 190 speech samples in four different categories of linguistic context: segments, words, sentences, and discourse. The listeners were instructed to listen to each speech sample and decide whether the speaker was a male or female. In addition, the listeners were instructed to rate their level of confidence …

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Wilms’ Tumor-1 (Wt1) Protein Expression In Glioma Cells Actuates Cellular Invasiveness- Identifying Its Target Genes, Archana Chidambaram Apr 2011

Wilms’ Tumor-1 (Wt1) Protein Expression In Glioma Cells Actuates Cellular Invasiveness- Identifying Its Target Genes, Archana Chidambaram

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated the expression of WT1 in a significant number of glioma cells and established its role in promoting tumor cell proliferation. Here, we noted the effect(s) of manipulating WT1 levels on the expression levels of genes that were previously shown to be regulated by WT1. We found no correlation between the expression levels of WT1 and PDGF-A, Snai1 and E-cadherin and a consistent inverse correlation between WT1 and IGF-1R expression in U251-MG cells. To ascertain whether the increased IGF-1R levels resulting from WT1 silencing could account for decreased cellular proliferation, we utilized siRNA mediated knockdown …

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Kinase Pathways Underlying Muscarinic Activation Of Colonic Longitudinal Muscle, Charles Dudley Anderson Jr. Apr 2011

Kinase Pathways Underlying Muscarinic Activation Of Colonic Longitudinal Muscle, Charles Dudley Anderson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The longitudinal muscle layer in gut is the functional opponent to the circular muscle layer during the peristalsis reflex. Differences in innervation of the layers allow for the contraction of one layer that corresponds with the simultaneous relaxation of the other, enabling the passage of gut contents in a controlled fashion. Differences in development have given the cells of the two layers differences in receptor populations, membrane lipid handling, and calcium handling profiles/behaviors. The kinase signaling differences between the two layers is not as well characterized. Upon activation of cells from the circular muscle layer, it is known that Rho …

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Characterization Of A Blast Wave Device And Blast Wave Induced Traumatic Brain Injury In A Rat Model By Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Spectroscopy, Frank Corwin Apr 2011

Characterization Of A Blast Wave Device And Blast Wave Induced Traumatic Brain Injury In A Rat Model By Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Spectroscopy, Frank Corwin

Theses and Dissertations

Blast wave induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a modality of injury that has come into prominence at the current time due to the large number of military and civilian personnel who have experienced the localized shock wave produced by explosive devices. The shock wave will travel concentrically outward from the explosive center, being absorbed and transmitted thru soft objects, such as tissue, and reflecting off stationary obstructions. Transmission and absorption in tissues can result in a number of physiological measureable injuries, the most common of which being what is frequently called “blast lung”. Blast lung involves the spalling effect …

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Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Fremont Activity Areas At Wolf Village, Utah, Laura Morrison Pyper Apr 2011

Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Fremont Activity Areas At Wolf Village, Utah, Laura Morrison Pyper

Theses and Dissertations

There is growing interest in the use of geochemical analyses for the evaluation of anthropogenically altered soils and other archaeological deposits. Areas of human habitation and activity tend to accumulate greater levels of soil phosphorus and trace metals. These elevated concentrations leave permanent signatures that can only be removed by erosion of the soil itself, and so phosphorus and trace metal mapping have become popular field procedures to identify areas of habitation and activity. Gridded soil samples were collected and soil phosphate and trace metal ions were extracted to identify these activity areas at the ancient Fremont site Wolf Village …

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Environmental Implications Of Polymer Coated Urea, Joshua James Lemonte Apr 2011

Environmental Implications Of Polymer Coated Urea, Joshua James Lemonte

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient in the biosphere. Although N is necessary and beneficial for life, it is also a common pollutant in the atmosphere and hydrosphere as it may be lost to the atmosphere as ammonia (NH3) or nitrous oxide (N2O) gases or to groundwater as nitrate (NO3-) following fertilization. Polymer coated urea (PCU) is one type of N fertilizer which uses temperature-controlled diffusion to control N release to better match plant demand and mitigate environmental losses of N. The objectives of this project were to simultaneously compare the effects of PCU on gaseous (as N2O and NH3) …

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Nanocomposite High Displacement Strain Gauges For Use In Human-Machine Interfaces: Applications In Hand Pose Determination, Thomas B. Calkins Apr 2011

Nanocomposite High Displacement Strain Gauges For Use In Human-Machine Interfaces: Applications In Hand Pose Determination, Thomas B. Calkins

Theses and Dissertations

Conductive nanocomposites are finding many uses as multi-functional materials. One recent development involves the creation of high displacement strain gauges, which have potential applications in a variety of engineering roles. The piezoresistive nature of the gauges makes possible their strain sensing capability. The intent of this research is to show that specific High Displacement Strain Gauges can successfully be used in one human-machine interface application that will demonstrate their potential for a range of other human-machine interface applications. This will be shown in the development of these sensors to accomplish hand pose determination. The flexible and inexpensive gauges are attached …

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Field Algae Measurements Using Empirical Correlations At Deer Creek Reservoir, Ryan A. Stephens Apr 2011

Field Algae Measurements Using Empirical Correlations At Deer Creek Reservoir, Ryan A. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

Deer Creek Reservoir in Utah has a history of high algae concentrations. Despite recent nutrient reduction efforts, seasonal algae continue to present problems. Cost effective, accurate, and comprehensive monitoring is important to understand the reservoir processes driving this problem and characterizing the algae spatial and temporal distributions are an important part of this effort. Current laboratory methods for accurately measuring algae are expensive and time consuming and are based on water samples taken in the field and transported to the laboratory. This approach only provides data for relatively few point samples because of the time and expense of sample collection …

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Dialogue In The Galleries: Developing A Tour About Contemporary Art For The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts, Elizabeth Reilly-Brown Apr 2011

Dialogue In The Galleries: Developing A Tour About Contemporary Art For The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts, Elizabeth Reilly-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This museum thesis project considers the challenges involved in developing engaging museum tours. The purpose of this project was to develop a fifty-minute, guided gallery tour that uses inquiry-based instruction to engage participants in dialogue and critical thinking about artworks. The tour was designed specifically for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia, using artworks selected from the museum’s twenty-first-century art collection that relate to the theme hybridity. This project contributes to the museum studies field by exemplifying how gallery tours can stimulate active learning, encourage visitors to find meaning in artworks, and form their own conclusions …

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Layers Of Meaning, Joan Wiberg Apr 2011

Layers Of Meaning, Joan Wiberg

Theses and Dissertations

My artwork reflects my search for my own artistic voice. Life demands examination from me at inconvenient times, but with the intention of growing as a person I proceed willingly, and as an artist, equipped with a paintbrush. My search has led me to discover new materials and techniques and my structured self-reflection has uncovered a new source of inspiration. I now combine the physical layering of art materials with layers of personal meaning as well. My work has an autobiographical theme which I have interpreted through the filter of my sense of humor. Working so intimately with my own …

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Gesamtkunstwerk And Other Trifles: Poems, Derk A. Olthof Apr 2011

Gesamtkunstwerk And Other Trifles: Poems, Derk A. Olthof

Theses and Dissertations

In all their various categories, the arts serve as the dominant subject matter of Gesamtkunstwerk and Other Trifles. The title itself begins with a German word-meld—gesamt (total) + kunstwerk (work of art). Thus a primary aim of these poems is to bring as many elements of art together as possible and to use their various forms (self-portraits, nocturnes, odes, etc.) as metaphorical frameworks that inform abstractions such as regret ("How to Draw Regret"), psychological disorders ("Insomnia Nocturnes") and confusion in how one should feel about living realities as opposed to inanimate objects ("Dead Starling"). Most of the poems …

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Translocation Effects Of Lcrv Extracellular Surface Residues And Regulation Of Lcrg Binding To The T3ss Of Yersinia Pestis, Thomas A. Henderson Apr 2011

Translocation Effects Of Lcrv Extracellular Surface Residues And Regulation Of Lcrg Binding To The T3ss Of Yersinia Pestis, Thomas A. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of the plague, immobilizes the host's innate immune response by translocating proteins called Yops (Yersinia outer proteins) into the eukaryotic cytoplasm using a type III secretion system (T3SS) injectisome known as the Yersinia secretion complex (Ysc). The T3SS injectisome, in many ways, resembles a hypodermic needle, composed of oligomeric rings with distinct areas responsible for different functions and many of these areas share homology to the flagellar T3SS basal body inner and outer membrane rings. Starting with the cytoplasmic region of the inner membrane known as the C-ring, this is an area where secretion is …

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Reviving The Latent Content Of Alchemy In William Shakespeare's Othello, Sarita Clara Rich Apr 2011

Reviving The Latent Content Of Alchemy In William Shakespeare's Othello, Sarita Clara Rich

Theses and Dissertations

While many of Shakespeare's alchemical allusions are noted for their language of positive regeneration and healing, the playwright's departures from these conventional uses of alchemy deserve further attention. This essay presents an examination of inversions in the redemptive alchemical paradigm of Othello, a play whose connections to alchemy are not announced by obvious references to gold making, the philosopher's stone, or other key terms relating to the discourse of the opus that a modern audience is likely to recognize. I argue that in Othello, alchemical allusions are more subtly deployed in the language that describes Othello and Desdemona's …

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Super-Resolution Mosaicking From Digital Surveillance Video Captured By Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uas), Aldo Camargo Apr 2011

Super-Resolution Mosaicking From Digital Surveillance Video Captured By Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uas), Aldo Camargo

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) can be used for tracking and surveillance by exploiting the information captured by a digital imaging payload Some of the most significant problems facing surveillance video captured by a small UAS aircraft (i.e., an airframe with a payload carrying capacity of less than 50 kilograms) include motion blur; the frame-to-frame movement induced by aircraft roll, wind gusts, and less than ideal atmospheric conditions; and the noise inherent within the image sensors. These effects have to be modeled to create a super-resolution mosaic from low-resolution UAS surveillance video frames, so that effective image analysis can be conducted. …

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