Digital Commons Network^™

Rendering Principal Direction Contour Lines With Oriented Textures, Kelly Gallagher

All Theses

In this paper we explore the use of contour lines in computer graphics as a means of conveying shape to the end-user. Contour lines provide an alternative to traditional realistic rendering styles and may even provide a more appropriate visualization for certain situations. For our images, contour line orientation is established in accordance with principal curvature directions.
We present a method for rendering a texture, oriented in the principal curvature direction, across a traditionally-modeled geometric surface that effectively forms suggestive contour lines to enhance the visualization of that surface. We further extend the method to create animated contour textures, wherein …

Leisure Constraints: Multiple Hileararchy Stratification Perspectives , Yunjin Tae

All Theses

The disadvantaged groups (elderly, gender, minorities, and individuals of lower SES) suffer from inequality of leisure participation. This study explores the theoretical frameworks of multiple hierarchy stratification in order to better understand the perceived constraints of leisure activities according to socio-demographic variables and how single and multiple statuses influence an individual's participation in leisure activities.
This study explores the relationship between leisure constraints and socio-demographic variables using cross tabulation, and investigate net effects of socio-demographic variables and combined effects of socio-demographic variables in two different types of leisure activities using binary regression.
The findings suggest that the disadvantaged groups have …

A Corpus-Based Approach To Determining Standard American English, Delys Ann Waite Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

Many teachers, test designers, textbook writers, and instructional designers turn to books written by usage experts to determine what is correct standard written American English. Unfortunately, though, experts often disagree about what is correct and what is incorrect, and this disagreement can create problems with validity when people create and assess instruction about usage. One way to discover the rules of standard English usage is to describe what writers actually do in printed, edited English. Researchers can access large collections of standard English through digital text archives, which can be searched electronically. The text archives for this study were taken …

On The Stability Of Region Count In The Parameter Space Of Image Analysis Methods, Li Yu

All Dissertations

In this dissertation a novel bottom-up computer vision approach is proposed. This approach is based upon quantifying the stability of the number of regions or count in a multi-dimensional parameter scale-space. The stability analysis comes from the properties of flat areas in the region count space generated through bottom-up algorithms of thresholding and region growing, hysteresis thresholding, variance-based region growing. The parameters used can be threshold, region growth, intensity statistics and other low-level parameters. The advantages and disadvantages of top-down, bottom-up and hybrid computational models are discussed. The approaches of scale-space, perceptual organization and clustering methods in computer vision are …

Minutes December 10, 2007

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 032, Number 20, December 10, 2007, Grand Valley State University

2007-2008, Volume 32

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Ada News - 12/10/2007, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Ua35/11 Arête December 2007, Honors College

Arête: Honors College at WKU Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Usu Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes, December 10, 2007, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Council on Teacher Education
• Retention and FYE Report
• Scholarship Advisory Board
• BFW Items – Conflict of Interest Recommendations
• Course Evaluation Form
• LEEDS Certification
• Ombudsperson Code Review
• Faculty Forum Attendance
• Salary Compression

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, December 10, 2007, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Council on Teacher Education Report
• Retention and FYE Report
• Scholarship Advisory Board Report
• BFW Items
• Conflict of Interest Recommendations
• LEEDS Certification
• Course Evaluation Form
• Faculty Forum Attendance
• Salary Compression

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 10, 2007, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

The Daily Egyptian, December 10, 2007, Daily Egyptian Staff

December 2007

No abstract provided.

A Breakdown In Boundaries: As Explored Through Abjection And The Language Of Abstract Art, Mary Hanley

All Theses

ABSTRACT
My work places emphasis on the anxiety and allure felt at the possibility of ingesting an object belonging to or displaced from the body through the language of abstract art. It links the fears and fascinations felt in situations of perceived abnormality and bodily aggression, to the objectification, or conversely abjection, of objects through images. I investigate a collapse in division between what the perceived identity of a thing or person is, and what it is not.
Each painting rejects an ideal of beauty as portrayed through stability, clarity, and compartmentalization, and embraces beauty as the interconnectedness of opposing …

Examining The Effects Of Fatigue On Decision-Making In Nursing: A Policy-Capturing Approach, Laura Mcclelland

All Dissertations

Some previous research has focused on better understanding factors that influence nurses' decision-making; however, previous research has not used policy-capturing as a methodology to examine the impact of fatigue on registered nurses' decision-making. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the fatigue of working a 12-hour day shift influenced a sample of registered nurses' decision-making. Participants consisted of 69 registered nurses working a 12-hour day shift from 7 AM to 7 PM at a large southeastern hospital. The participants completed a general questionnaire and a policy-capturing questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of a 12-hour …

Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes (December 10, 2007), Dmacc

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

This file contains the minutes from the Des Moines Area Community College Board meeting held on December 10, 2007.

The Role Of Inspiration In Scientific Scholarship And Discovery: Views Of Theistic Scientists, Kari Ann O'Grady

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined the ways those who identify themselves as theistic scientists and scholars experience inspiration, as defined as divine guidance or influence, in their scientific scholarship and discovery. It also explored participants' beliefs about how scientists and scholars can seek and prepare to receive inspiration in their work. Open-ended surveys of 450 participants from the behavioral and natural sciences and from a variety of religious backgrounds were analyzed for content themes in the areas of experiences with inspiration, preparing to receive inspiration, and further thoughts on inspiration in science. The themes extracted indicated that these scientists and …

The Bg News December 10, 2007, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. December 10, 2007. Volume 98-Issue 74.

Household Food Security, Dietary Intake, And Anthropometric Assessment Of Dominican Children, Elizabeth Wall

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess nutrition and food security status of Dominican school children and their families. Anthropometric measures, diet recalls, and household food security surveys were used as tools in this assessment. This assessment may assist in prioritizing programs for the transitioning country of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
In year 1, 199 children and 197 children in year 2 from 10 primary schools in 3 regions participated in the study. Four of the schools were involved with school feeding programs while six were not involved in school feeding programs. Weight was measured on an electric scale; …

Lanthorn, Vol. 42, No. 31, December 10, 2007, Grand Valley State University

Volume 42, July 12, 2007 - June 12, 2008

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Personality Predictors Of Motivation To Lead, Tracey Tafero

All Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the relationship between personality traits and leadership. Recent research suggests that some personality variables are related to leadership. However, research has rarely examined the process by which personality may impact leadership. This study explores the relationship between personality and motivation to lead, a proposed intervening variable between personality and leadership. In addition, this study looks at both broad and narrow measures of personality as predictors of motivation to lead. The current study both replicates and extends the findings of Chan & Drasgow (2001). Results reveal that facet-level personality scales …

The Consumer Choice Of E-Channels As A Purchasing Avenue: An Investigation Of The Communicative Aspects Of Information Qualtiy , Jaejoo Lim

All Dissertations

A conspicuous paradox is evident in the statistics concerning purchases over the internet. While a majority of the US population uses the internet to seek product information for purchasing decisions, less than two percent of actual retail sales occur on the Internet. To explain this small ratio of e-channel choice for purchase, a comprehensive model that extends DeLone and McLean's (2004) e-commerce success model was developed. The model centers on the importance of perceived information quality and its relationship to e-channel choice as a purchasing channel. Using the overarching theoretical frame of motivation, two questions were examined: (a) what influences …

Nesting And Foraging Characteristics Of The Black Carpenter Ant Camponotus Pennsylvanicus (Degeer) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Donald Oswalt

All Dissertations

Potential nesting sites of Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) were investigated in South Carolina to determine if nesting sites features could be characterized by habitat features for black carpenter ant nests. Environmental data from forested plots showed large-scale habitat features such as vegetation density and canopy cover were not useful as indicators for the presence or absence of nests. Small-scale individual nest characteristics such as diameter at breast height of trees, log length, tree defect type or tree species were better indicators of occupied nests. In my study, C. pennsylvanicus preferred mature hardwood (Quercus spp.) trees approximately 30 cm in diameter and …

The Enabling Potential Of Losses In Later Life: Linking Constraints To Selective Optimization With Compensation, Begum Aybar-Damali

All Dissertations

A substantial literature describes factors that prevent people from participating in and enjoying leisure and recreation activities. These factors have often been regarded as negative and helping individuals use strategies to maintain participation has been advised. The primary purpose of this study was to explore whether losses catalyzed selective optimization of resources. This exploratory research investigated the relationship among (1) life satisfaction, (2) change in leisure behavior, (3) life management strategies of selection, optimization, and compensation, (4) enhancement outcomes, and (5) leisure satisfaction. The participants of the study were recruited from older adults who attended activities and classes provided by …

Apparent Quality Of Alternative Halftone Screening When Compared To Conventional Screening In Commmercial Offset Lithography, Garth Oliver

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Printers are still concerned with craftsmanship and are always looking for means to produce faster print jobs with improved quality. The invention of new halftone screening techniques is one of the methods imaging companies have used as an attempt to improve the quality of the printed piece. These techniques can possibly improve the aesthetic qualities and fidelity of printed reproductions, therefore printers and students of printing need to study these techniques to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation.
This experimental study was conducted to measure the quality of printed halftones that were screened with three different …

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, December 9, 2007, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2007

No abstract provided.

Commencement Speech - Dec 2007, George C. Wright

President Emeritus George C. Wright Speeches

No abstract provided.

The Echo: December 7, 2007, Taylor University

2007-2008 (Volume 95)

Taylor gets an early Christmas gift – Echo gets new pages – Sells continues father’s legacy – Election 2008: guide to Democratic candidates – Echo editor, photographer win state press awards – Around campus in three days: editor’s open house adventure – “Magic” fire marshal visit – ‘The Golden Compass’ takes fantasy in a new direction – Navigating the theology of ‘The Golden Compass’ – Living Comfort Eagle – A Festivus for the rest of us – Editorial – Our view: Sudan deserves attention – Letters to the Editor – What, me? Study? – Trojans win overtime thriller at home …

Governors State University Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes - December 7, 2007, Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees Meetings Materials and Recordings

Minutes for the Governors State University Board of Trustees Meeting - December 7, 2007

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 7, 2007, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

12-07-2007 Swosu Students Receive Nasa Grantawards, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2007

Southwestern Oklahoma State University students in Weatherford recently received scholarships and intern positions made possible by a $12,000 grant from the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium and the University of Oklahoma.