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Harding University Graduate School Of Religion 2007-2008 Catalog, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate program in Bible and religion.

Identification Of Radial Streaming And Pseudopods In Dermoscopy Images, Sayali Prabhakar Deshpande

Masters Theses

"This thesis demonstrates an algorithm to identify the features of radial streaming and pseudopods found in dermoscopy images of malignant melanoma. The algorithm includes preprocessing images using the Principal Component Transform and an application of mathematical techniques to extract the desired features from the lesion image on the basis of color, size, shape, and orientation with respect to the lesion boundary. These identified features are further used to classify the lesion as malignant or benign. The proposed algorithm has produced a diagnostic accuracy of 90.50% for the training set of 31 malignant and 109 benign images and a diagnostic accuracy …

Susceptibility Scanning System As Failure Analysis Tool For System Level Esd Problems, Giorgi Muchaidze

Masters Theses

"System level Electrostatic Discharges (ESDs) can lead to soft-errors (e.g., bit-errors, wrong resets). The goal of this project is to offer guidance in finding the root cause of soft-errors frequently observed using immunity scanning system. Immunity scanning is an increasingly adopted method for root cause analysis of system level immunity sensitivities. It allows localizing affected nets and ICs. At first a description of the ESD discharge process is given, which provides the necessary background for correctly analyzing ESD failures. Local scanning and in-circuit measurement techniques are expounded in this study. Further, it is shown how PCB scanning results can reveal …

Harding University Graduate Catalog 2007-2008, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate programs at Harding University.

Energy-Aware And Secure Routing With Trust Levels For Wireless Ad Hoc And Sensor Networks, Eyad Taqieddin

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on the development of routing algorithms for secure and trusted routing in wireless ad hoc and sensor network. The first paper presents the Trust Level Routing (TLR) protocol, an extension of the optimized energy-delay routing (OEDR) protocol, focusing on the integrity, reliability and survivability of the wireless network...The second paper analyzes both OLSR and TLR in terms of survivability and reliability to emphasize the improved performance of the network in terms of lifetime and proper delivery of data...The third paper proposes a statistical reputation model that uses the watchdog mechanism to observe the cooperation of the neighboring …

Field And Laboratory Investigation Of Ozone-Indoor Surface Reactions: Secondary Emissions Inventory And Implications For Indoor Air Quality, Hong Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Interfacial chemistry greatly influences human exposure to reactants and products in indoor environments. Emissions of volatile organic compounds, as a result of ozone-surface interactions, can lower an occupant's exposure to ozone, but increase indoor concentrations of odorous and carcinogenic compounds. Therefore, investigation of ozone-surface interactions are necessary for better understanding and controlling exposure to ozone and the products of indoor surface chemistry. In this dissertation, field experiments were conducted in five homes in three seasons to quantify ozone-initiated secondary emission rates (SERs), yields surface reaction probabilities and study their temporal trends"--Abstract, page iv.

Electron Beam Characterization Of Carbon Nanostructures, Eric Samuel Mandell

Doctoral Dissertations

"Atom-thick carbon nanostructures represent a class of novel materials that are of interest to those studying carbon's role in fossil fuel, hydrogen storage, scaled-down electronics, and other nanotechnology. Electron microscope images of "edge-on" graphene sheets show linear image features due to the projected potential of the sheets. Here, intensity profiles along these linear features can measure the curvature of the sheet, as well as the shape of the sheet (i.e. hexagonal, triangular). Also, electron diffraction powder profiles calculated for triangular graphene sheet shapes show a broadening of the low frequency edge of diffraction rings, in comparison to those calculated for …

Hyphenated Hplc-Ms Technique For Analysis Of Compositional Monosaccharides Of Transgenic Corn Glycoprotein And Characterization Of Degradation Products Of Diazinon, Fonofos And Aldicarb In Various Oxidation Systems, Tongwen Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The studies of this dissertation are composed of two sections. The first one deals with the analysis of compositional monosaccharides of transgenic corn glycoproteins. The method used in this study involved derivatization of monosaccharides with two fluorophores followed by HPLC/fluorescence detection for quantitative studies, and by HPLC/SSI/MS for identification confirmation of individual monosaccharide...The second section investigates the degradation processes of several pesticides including diazinon, fonofos and aldicarb in various oxidation systems"--Abstract, page iv.

New Techniques To Improve Power Quality And Evaluate Stability In Modern All-Electric Naval Ship Power Systems, Peng Xiao

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on two crucial issues in the design and analysis of the power electronic systems on modern all-electric naval ships, i.e., power quality control and stability evaluation. It includes three papers that deal with active power filter topology, active rectifier control, and impedance measurement techniques, respectively. To mitigate harmonic currents generated by high-power high-voltage shipboard loads such as propulsion motor drives, the first paper proposes a novel seven-level shunt active power filter topology, which utilizes tapped reactors for parallel operations of switching devices. The multi-level system has been implemented in both regular digital simulation and real-time digital simulator …

Synthetic Methods For Biologically Relevant Organofluorine Compounds, Meher Perambuduru

Doctoral Dissertations

"This thesis describes novel synthetic methodologies for the synthesis of biologically relevant organofluorine compounds"--Abstract, page iii.

The Leaching Behavior Of Arsenic, Selenium And Other Trace Elements In Coal Fly Ash, Tian Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goals of this study are four fold, they are: (1) to investigate the leaching behavior of arsenic and selenium from fly ash as well as their affecting factors; (2) to analyze the speciation of arsenic and selenium in fly ash leachate; (3) to develop a modeling approach to quantify the availability and stability of trace cationic elements in fly ash; (4) to apply this model to describe the leaching/adsorption behavior of arsenic and selenium on fly ash, as well as the calcium effect on arsenic (V) adsorption process"--Abstract, page iv.

Manufacturing Of Glass Ribbon Reinforced Transparent Composites Using The Autoclave Process, Josef Patrick Seale

Masters Theses

"Clear transparent panels have many applications ranging from windows on an aircraft to protective safety guards on industrial equipment. Glass ribbon reinforced transparent composites are light weight, load bearing and have a high impact resistance.

A transparent composite is based on the concept of matching the refractive index of the glass ribbon with that of a resin system. It is not necessary that the resin refractive index match the glass refractive index before the cure cycle, only that the refractive indexes match after curing.

Transparent composites have a high impact resistance that would be mechanically ideal for aircraft windows and …

Sensor Network Coverage And Data Aggregation Problem: Solutions Toward The Maximum Lifetime, Li Yin

Masters Theses

"In the coverage problem, an optimal solution is proposed for the maximum lifetime sensor scheduling problem, which could find the upper bound of a sensor network's lifetime. This research reveals the relationship between the degree of redundancy in sensor deployment and achievable extension on network lifetime, which can be a useful guide for practical sensor network design"--Introduction, page 4.

Fast Sphere Decoder For Mimo Systems, Praveen G. Krishnan

Masters Theses

"This work focuses on variants of the conventional sphere decoding technique for Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) systems. Space Time Block Codes (STBC) have emerged as a popular way of transmitting data over multiple antennas achieving the right balance between diversity and spatial multiplexing. The Maximum Likelihood (ML) technique is a conventional way of decoding the transmitted information from the received data, but at the cost of increased complexity. The sphere decoder algorithm is a sub-optimal decoding technique that is computationally efficient achieving a ;symbol error rate that is dependent on the initial radius of the sphere. In this thesis, …

Modeling And Control Of Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication, Xiyue Zhao

Masters Theses

"Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) is an additive manufacturing technique that extrudes ceramic loaded aqueous pastes layer by layer below the paste freezing temperature for component fabrication. As the FEF is aimed at being conducted at low environmental temperatures, down to -20°C, it is necessary to investigate the effect of environmental temperature on the process. The advantages of fabrication at low temperature have been proved by experiments. Comparisons in terms of operation parameters, self-sustaining ability, and system dynamic response were performed at different environmental temperatures ranging from 20°C to -20°C.

It is commonly known in paste extrusion processes that due to …

Empirical Dynamic Modeling And Nonlinear Force Control Of Friction Stir Welding, Xin Zhao

Masters Theses

"Current Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process models are mainly concerned with the detailed analysis of material flow, heat generation, etc. and therefore, are computationally intensive. Dynamic models describing the total forces acting on the tool throughout the entire welding process are required for the design of feedback control strategies and improved process planning and analysis. In this thesis, empirical models relating the process parameters (i.e., plunge depth, travel speed, and rotation speed) to the process variables (i.e., axial, path, and normal forces) are developed to describe their dynamic relationships"--Abstract, page iv.

Learning Transformations Through Cross-Cultural E-Mentoring: Perspectives From An Online Faculty Development Forum, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Jennifer Linder-Vanberschot, Deborah Lapointe, Kerrin Barret, Julia Mummert, Marlie Saligumba Cardiff, Jason Skinner

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Employing qualitative research methods, this study discusses the learning transformations of e-mentors from the United States and protégés from Sri Lanka who engaged in online problem solving tasks that were part of a faculty development forum.

An Inside Look Behind Pandora.Com, Jackie Shane

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Teaching Resourcefulness And Acceptance On Affect, Behavior, And Cognition Of Chronically Ill Elders, Jaclene Zauszniewski, Abir K. Bekhet, Chien-Yu Lai, Patricia Mcdonald, Carol M. Musil

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This clinical trial examined changes in affect, behavior, and cognition in 176 chronically ill elders who were randomly assigned to Resourcefulness Training (RT), Acceptance Training (AT), or Diversional Activities (DA). The RT group improved on affect (t(1,42) = 4.91; p < .001) and cognition (t(1,42) = 2.03; p< .05) and these effects lasted 12 weeks. The AT group improved on affect (t(1,36) = 3.08; p < .01), but this improvement did not persist. The RT and AT groups both showed positive behavior changes after six weeks. There were no changes in the DA group. The findings suggest that teaching elders resourcefulness and acceptance of chronic conditions may promote healthy functioning and improve their quality of life.

A Simulation Environment Modeling The Use Of Wireless Sensor Networks For The Detection And Mapping Of Wildfires, Matthew Gann

Masters Theses

"Over the past 5 years, billions of dollars have been spent fighting wildfires which consume thousands of acres. Currently, satellites are the primary source of information regarding the location of large scale wildfires. The satellites in use are capable of reporting the location of the wildfire, but these reports are generated infrequently and have a low spatial resolution, where the reported location of the fire can be off by 500 meters. Timely detection (latency) and frequent report (throughput) are needed to help prevent the destruction caused by wildfires. This thesis, a system is described based on an ad-hoc wireless sensor …

Nonlinear Control Of Nonholonomic Mobile Robot Formations, Travis Alan Dierks

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the framework developed to control a single nonholonomic mobile robot is expanded to include the control of formations of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots. A combined kinematic/torque control law is developed for leader-follower based formation control using backstepping in order to accommodate the dynamics of the robots and the formation in contrast with kinematic-based formation controllers typically found in literature"--Abstract, page iv.

Modular Architecting For Effects Based Operations, Emel Meteoglu

Masters Theses

"Effects Based Operations (EBO) is a way of thinking for planning, executing and assessing any operations for the effects they produce, rather than dealing with actions, targets or even objectives. The literature on EBO has been growing day by day; however, there is still a need for modeling techniques and tools that provide more efficient and effective effects based assessment, planning and analysis in order to further develop the capabilities of the operations. In this context, this thesis presents an introduction to EBO by focusing on its methodology, its challenges and also its applicability in different systems. Moreover, this thesis …

Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Study For Direct Metal Deposition Of Titanium Alloy And Tool Steel, Yaxin Bao

Masters Theses

"This thesis is focused on the research about DMD (Direct Metal Deposition) which is an additive manufacturing process and used in various engineering applications such as producing fully dense and net shape productions in difficult-to-machine materials. In this study, the microstructure was analyzed through optical microscopy and some mechanical properties were tested with different equipments such as SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and micro-hardness tester...In summary, this thesis validated that DMD process can be improved through surface treatments and is capable of repairing molds for die casting industry"--Introduction, page 1.

Vapor Phase Uptake Of Volatile Organic Contaminants By Hybrid Poplar Trees, Sally Rebecca Breite

Masters Theses

"Phytoremediation, the use of plants to immobilize, degrade or remove contaminants from the environment, shows great promise as a remediation technique for many contaminated sites. Phytovolatilization in particular is of great interest for sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Hybrid poplar trees have been shown to uptake, translocate and volatilize numerous aqueous-phase VOCs, however vapor phase uptake of such compounds has only recently been observed and for only one contaminant, tetrachloroethylene (PCE). One semi-volatile and five volatile compounds were dosed to poplar trees in aqueous and vapor phase …

Development Of A Liquid Injection Propane System For Spark-Ignited Engines Via Fuel Temperature Control, Brian Charles Applegate

Masters Theses

"This work describes the development of a thermally controlled liquid propane injection system...A liquid fuel system, as described in this work, offers power gains over vaporized fuel introduction due to the ability to use the heat of vaporization from the vaporizing fuel to cool the intake charge and improve the volumetric efficiency of the engine. This system uses temperature to control the state of the fuel in the fuel system"--Introduction, page 1.

Barriers And Best Practices For Material Management In The Healthcare Sector, Carlos Callender

Masters Theses

"For many years, the primary focus of the healthcare sector has been to provide patients with the best quality of care. Recently, with the escalating cost of supplies and the severe competition among healthcare providers, the pressure on material managers to operate more cost-efficiently without compromising the high patient care standards has significantly increased. While other sectors have experienced success through the deployment of supply chain management practices, the healthcare sector has not seen major improvements in this area. However, in spite of the uniqueness and complexity of the healthcare supply chain, opportunities for improvements are plentiful. Thus, this thesis …

A Real Time Operating System Based Test-Bed For Autonomous Vehicle Navigation, Pravin Dhake

Masters Theses

"Research and experiments on ... Autonomous Navigation Schemes and Algorithms need an efficient test-bed for objective performance analysis. These algorithms often require sensor inputs from the systems such as the speed and steering sensors to apply feedback control action. An efficient test-bed provides status of all sensors and records of all previous sensor values is very desirable. This work involves developing for such a test-bed to support research on Autonomous Navigation schemes and Algorithms involved in these applications. Different approaches are analyzed and an optimum approach to design test-bed is implemented"--Abstract, page iii.

Enhanced Functional Analysis System Technique For Managing Complex Engineering Projects, Sofia Tan

Masters Theses

"This study presents an Enhanced Functional Analysis Systems Technique (EFAST) tool to facilitate communication amongst various stakeholders such as the customers, program managers, systems architects, and systems engineers. the EFAST maps the customer requirements to downstream system functions and subsystem/component requirements, and outlines the interactions between various system and subsystem level and activities using a top-down approach. A bottom-up approach is used to populate the system element cost and time estimates. The EFAST tool compares the budgeted development resources with the estimated development resources to provide a realistic picture for realizing project in terms of performance, cost, and schedule. The …

Interactive And Dialogue Based Learning In Engineering Education, Siddartha Thummuri

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on a class room architecture that provides high levels of interactivity which enhances the students' learning environment both in distance and on-campus contexts and forms a basis for practical learning. Two analyses are presented in this thesis, the first one being a simple measure of levels of interactivity in this course architecture, based on rubric and the second one, a comparative analysis, to demonstrate the effectiveness of interactive (multi-directional information flow) classrooms as opposed to conventional (unidirectional information flow) classrooms and that this course architecture is ideal for enhancement of distance learning and an excellent route to …

Printed Circuit Board (Pcb) Loss Characterization Up-To 20 Ghz And Modeling, Analysis And Validation, Abhilash Rajagopal

Masters Theses

"Dielectric properties and losses are increasingly more important in signal link path characterization, as data rates increases. High-frequency effects such as dielectric losses, dispersion and skin-effect losses need to be considered. For ensuring signal integrity, it is important to characterize losses of printed circuit board (PCB) dielectrics. To extract dielectric properties of a stripline transmission medium, an analytical technique was used...Two test materials were studied, and the extraction procedure was refined. This technique was applied to microstrip transmission lines. Two analytical solutions were derived for extracting practical material parameters. A microstrip test vehicle was designed and the two extraction methods …