Digital Commons Network^™

Digital Tools For Industrial Design, Thomas Myers

Theses

Not included.

Mr.Wolf, A Bad Guy?: Digital Multi-Language Story Book, Ya-Wen Chen

Theses

Interactive learning material can be beneficial to the study of languages. Given today's technology, books can not be regarded as the only source of learning or studying languages. However, by integrating the massive information readily available by means of books, World Wide Web, computer technology, and inter-personal relations, one can create digital interactive learning media, which will not only enhance the learning materials but also boost the interests in learning languages.

Model Evaluation And Measurement Optimization For The Reproduction Of Artist Paint Surfaces Through Computer Graphics Renderings, Ying Chen

Theses

Light reflection models for computer graphics have been developed over the past several decades. For real paint surfaces, it is possible to model their bidirectional reflectance distribution function with simple models. A framework was established to evaluate two simple reflection models, Phong and Torrance-Sparrow, which were used to render artist paint surfaces under different illumination angles. An image acquisition system was devised to capture the images under selected illuminated angles. The parameters of the specular and the diffuse components were estimated with these image sequences. At the evaluation stage, both physicallybased metrics and psychophysical techniques were used to evaluate the …

Si Dios Quiere ..., Katrina Marcelle D'Autremont

Theses

This thesis explores issues of closeness and distance within families. By looking at how aspects of cultural identity further complicate this dynamic as well as how photography is used as a way of mapping a family character, this thesis encompasses topics ranging from Argentine artists to early daguerreotype photography. Using her own Argentine- American heritage as a subject for the photographs, the artist focuses on her grandfather's apartment in Argentina, which acts as a stage, and character in her family story. Traditional modes of photographic posing are borrowed and explored in this work, not only to reference the old photographs …

Office Foody: Conceptual Restaurant Website Development, Chih-Wei Hsu

Theses

The conceptual restaurant website "OFFICE FOODY" offers users a new experience of ordering their meal via the Internet.

Through this website, the restaurant is allowed to receive customer's order and start to prepare their food immediately. Just like sometimes, we make an order when waiting in the long line during rush hour, this time the users can make an order simply in their office.

Besides, by designing the 2D visual environment based on a restaurant metaphor, the users can not only make their orders, but also customize their favorite setting. Furthermore, the reservation and E-mail interlace in the website are …

School Days, Hope Rovelto

Theses

My thesis exhibition, 'School Days,' is a collection of autobiographical sculptures. My thesis is inspired by the difficult memories of my childhood education. During school I felt condescension from my teachers and peers; I felt like I was actually wearing a dunce cap. This body of work represents the feeling of being ostracized from others in a classroom. I used the form of school chairs for my sculpture. The school chairs are the primary metaphor reflecting my early formal education. We, western industrial society, have an almost universal relationship with the school chair. As an artist, I use its form …

The Effects Of Writing About Positive Reminiscence On Happiness With Adolescents, Alison M. Senter

Theses

Much research has been done with adults in the field of positive psychology, reminiscence, and journal writing. Previous findings reveal that reminiscing about positive memories enhances one's happiness, well-being, life satisfaction, and self-continuity. The current study sought to expand this to adolescence. A group of 19 male and female ninth graders from a northeastern, suburban high school were assigned to a positive reminiscence or a daily hassles journal writing group. Analyses revealed significant effects on participants' positive affect; journal writing in general and specifically writing only about positive memories both significantly increased participants' ratings of perceived positive affect. However, no …

Removal Of Manganese From An Alkaline Mine Drainage Using A Bioreactor With Different Organic Carbon Sources, Jared D. Edwards

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The treatment of Mn and SO₄^2- contaminated mine drainage via a sulfate reducing bioreactor is expected to result in near-permanent immobilization of significant amounts of Mn and a portion of the sulfates within the matrix. This study tested several different combinations of organic amendments and inorganic substrates in an attempt to optimize sulfate reducing conditions and Mn removal capacity. Five different organic carbon sources, including corn mash, wood mulch, biosolids, soybean oil, and sorghum syrup in combination with five different inorganic substrates, including creek sediment, marble and limestone chips, polished gravel, and sand were tested in batch experiments. …

Precision Agriculture: Realizing Increased Profit And Reduced Risk Through Cost Map And Lightbar Adoption, Benjamin Michael Kayrouz

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis examines the use of two specific types of precision agriculture technologies: cost maps and lightbar. Cost maps visually depict spatial differences in production costs. The visual depictions of these costs are represented using ArcGIS in an attempt to aide farmers in further decision making. Results will show that cost maps have great possibilities in their addition to the set of tools that farmers use in decision making. This thesis will expand the understanding of lightbar from a partial budget study to a whole farm model incorporating competition across different enterprises for labor and capital. The results from the …

The Missing Link: Marital Virtues And Their Relationship To Individual Functioning, Communication, And Relationship Adjustment, Amanda Veldorale-Brogan

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Relationship adjustment research is being expanded beyond established connections with communication and individual functioning. In recent years, researchers have looked to positive psychology and virtues. That research shifts the focus from psychopathology and communication to more core values and ways of being. The present study seeks to expand this knowledge base using Blaine Fowers (2000) framework of marital virtues. His framework views what a person puts into an intimate relationship as an important predictor of relationship adjustment. The present study uses this framework in conjunction with previous research to examine the direct and indirect links amongst individual functioning, marital virtues, …

Irritability, Executive Functioning, And The Alcohol-Aggression Relation, Aaron John Godlaski

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this investigation was twofold. First, to test the hypothesis that irritability and executive functioning (EF), two previously established risk factors for alcohol-related aggression, would interact to conjointly confer multiplicative risk for intoxicated violence that is not observed when testing either variable alone. Second, to test the hypothesis that irritability would mediate the relation between EF and alcohol-related aggression. EF was measured using seven well-established neuropsychological tests. Irritability was measured using the Caprara Irritability Scale-CIS. Participants were 310 male and female social drinkers between the ages of 21 – 35 years old. After consuming an …

Syntheses, Structures And Magnetic Characterization Of Di- And Trivalent Hydridotris(3,5-Dimethylpyrazol-1-Yl)Borate Cyanomanganates, Minao Tang

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The syntheses, structures, and magnetic properties of a series of di/trivalent hydridotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate (Tp*) cyanomanganates were investigated. Treatment of manganese(III)acetylacetonate with KTp* followed by tetra(ethyl)- ammonium cyanide affords [NEt₄][(Tp*)Mn^II(acac)(CN)] (1). Attempts to oxidize 1 with iodine affords {(Tp*)Mn^II(κ²O-acac-CN)}_n (7); a minor complex {[NEt₄][(Tp*)Mn^II(κ²O-acac-3-CN)]₂(µ-CN) (8) was also isolated.

The manganese(II) complex [NEt₄][(Tp*)Mn^II(κ²O-acac-3-CN)(κ¹N -3-NC-acac)] (2) was obtained via treatment of Mn(3-acacCN)₃ with KTp* and [NEt₄]CN. [NEt₄]₂[Mn …

An Evaluation Of Earthquake Ground-Motion Site Effects At Two Sites Underlain By Deep Soils In Western Kentucky, Jonathan Larry Mcintyre

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Six earthquake acceleration time histories were used to evaluate the groundmotion response of two sites, VSAP and VSAS, near the New Madrid Seismic Zone. These earthquakes ranged in magnitude from M_w 3.6 to M_w 5.2 and were located 46 to 173 km away from the recording instruments. These two sites are underlain by thick sequences (100 and 590 m) of unlithified soil that have been shown to greatly influence earthquake ground motions.

Near-surface soil dynamic properties were characterized at the two sites using seismic SH-wave refraction, P-S suspension logging, borehole electrical logs, and geotechnical logging methods. The soil …

Subsurface Characterization And Seuqence Stratigraphy Of Late Mississippian Strata In The Black Warrior Basin, Alabama And Mississippi, Carrie A. Kidd

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A depositional framework for the Mississippian (Chesterian) Pride Mountain Formation/Hartselle Sandstone clastic tongue and the lower Bangor Limestone carbonate ramp in the Black Warrior basin, Mississippi and Alabama, is constructed from approximately 250 geophysical well logs, 15 well cuttings descriptions, and outcrop data. The framework is based upon cross sections, isopach maps, and transgressive-regressive sequence stratigraphy.

The Lowndes-Pickens synsedimentary fault block controlled sediment dispersal in during Pride Mountain/Hartselle deposition. The basin filled from the southwest, which pushed the depocenter northeastward during Hartselle deposition. The Hartselle sub-basin is composed of the Hartselle barrier-island and back-barrier deposits to the southwest, including the …

Integrated Geophysical Imaging Of Subsurface Geologic Conditions Across A Contaminant Plume, Mccracken County, Kentucky, Cora A. Blits

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Over 7.8 km of seismic reflection data and 2 km of electrical resistivity data were acquired, processed, and interpreted during this multi-method geophysical study. Objectives included the definition of geologic conditions underlying a contaminant plume in McCracken County, western Kentucky, and the determination of the potential for structural control on the rate and direction of plume migration. Both geophysical methods indicate the presence of multiple high-angle normal faults outlining a series of asymmetric grabens ranging in width from 160 m to almost 300 m and striking between N40°E and N45°E. There was agreement between the two methods on fault location …

Fit Numerical Modeling For Emi Discovery And "Design", James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Natural Disasters On Employee Turnover: The Shocks And After-Shocks Of Hurricane Katrina On It Professionals, James Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive natural disaster in American history and created the need for organizations along the Gulf Coast to employ disaster management and recovery plans. With the ubiquitous nature of computers and technology, IT professionals were critical organizational assets in executing those plans in order to insure the safety and recovery of valuable information. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the impact natural disasters have on IT professionals and their subsequent turnover decisions. The theoretical guide for this study was the Unfolding Model of Turnover (Lee and Mitchell 1994) that identifies …

Performing Photographs: Memory, History, And Display, Melanie A. Kitchens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In my study, I place concepts and practices of photography and performance in dialogue to enable our understanding of how photographs perform and how performance contains or can contain elements we attribute to photographs. The connection between photography and performance that most intrigues me is how they make memories and when collected or restored in some socially shared way make histories too. My specific aim is to understand how photographs and performance might benefit from each other in how they make and transmit memories and histories. To activate the study, I select and focus on five specific events in which …

Enriching Or Depleting: An Investigation Of Communication And Behavior Within The Family Business, Joyceia Marie Banner

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the prevalence of family firms, researchers often ignore the significant impact of the family on the business. Thus, if organizational scholars do not account for the family as a variable in their research, they will not account for a significant number of the organizations they purport to understand. The fact that family businesses comprise such a large percentage of organizations proves that the family business context deserves more attention from both organizational and organizational communication scholars. With this in mind, the original intent of this dissertation was to explore the impact of family relationships on communication practices and behaviors …

Hardware Implementation Of Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Scheme In Gf(P), Zerene Sangma

Theses

With the advent of technology there are many applications that require secure communication. Elliptic Curve Public-key Cryptosystems are increasingly becoming popular due to their small key size and efficient algorithm. Elliptic curves are widely used in various key exchange techniques including Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement scheme. Modular multiplication and modular division are one of the basic operations in elliptic curve cryptography. Much effort has been made in developing efficient modular multiplication designs, however few works has been proposed for the modular division. Nevertheless, these operations are needed in various cryptographic systems. This thesis examines various scalable implementations of elliptic curve scalar …

Solving An Mri Spin Relaxometry Problem Using Parallel Java, Hardik Parikh

Theses

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique used primarily in the medical profession to produce high quality images of the inside of the human body, without using x-rays. The process of obtaining the spin density spectrum from the time samples of the spin signal for each pixel of a magnetic resonance image is known as MRI spin relaxometry. The spin density spectrum is obtained by performing linear regularization on samples of magnetic resonance images obtained at different times. The spin density spectrum obtained from the body is used by radiologists to diagnose disease in its early stage. However, the …

Chemistry, Hiroki Sato

Theses

Chemistry by Hiroki Sato, M.F.A Thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2008 A description of the creation of a 3D computer animated film, "Chemistry," a project whose goal is to invoke an emotional response in the audience as they watch a reaction between a crystal and a light bulb in a laboratory. Includes thesis proposal, budget, timeline, original story boards, color stills, and a code for a Maya Python tool that helps to create and animate some complex geometrical objects.

The Road Ahead: A Dynamic, Interactive, And Multidimensional Flash Website, Hung-Ju Hsia

Theses

Everyone has several dreams in his/her life. To be an International student in the United States, I am fulfilling one of my dreams. At December 17th 2001, I stepped on the United States, a dream territory where I had never been to, and started a fantastic journey. Everything was so fresh to me. In California, I felt the warm sunshine, friendly people, and a vigorous life style. In New York, I found beautiful snow, a serious attitude on working, and a stylish life style. Traveling across the country, I realized why people call America a dream territory. Maybe two years …

The Viability Of A Thermoelectric Fuel Conditioning System For A Diesel Engine Utilizing Biodiesel, Timothy Schriefer

Theses

Certain internal combustion engines, which run on hydrocarbon fuels, experience difficulty upon engine start-up in extreme cold weather. As ambient temperature decreases below the fuel cloud point and beyond, paraffin form in the fuel and eventually clog the fuel filter causing the engine to fail to start. This problem becomes more pronounced when the engine in question is a Diesel and the fuel utilized is biodiesel. As an alternative fuel source, biodiesel has many advantages; however, its cold weather performance is worse than even conventional diesel fuel. As biodiesel becomes more integrated into the world’s energy usage scenario, one of …

Measuring The Value Of Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement Activities, Jennifer R. Walton, Joseph D. Crabtree, Candice Y. Wallace, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The responsibility for monitoring commercial vehicles on Kentucky’s roadways and enforcing the applicable laws and regulations falls primarily on Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement (KVE). KVE personnel are involved in a variety of activities including commercial vehicle size and weight enforcement, work zone speed enforcement, and general traffic monitoring and enforcement. The objectives of this study were to identify, describe, and (where possible) quantify the benefits associated with the activities of KVE. The primary benefits provided by the activities of KVE are: reductions in crashes, injuries, and fatalities; protection of the revenue streams that replenish Kentucky’s Road Fund; reduced damage to Kentucky’s …

Crash History After Installation Of Traffic Signals (Warranted Vs. Unwarranted), Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to determine the change in crash history at intersections after installation of a traffic signal. Signals installed based on the warrants from an engineering study resulted in a decrease in angle collisions with an increase in the less severe rear end collisions. At intersections where signal warrants were not met, there was a smaller decrease in angle collisions and a larger increase in rear end collisions. The removal of unwarranted traffic signals did not result in a crash problem. The analysis shows that the warrants given in the MUTCD should be followed when determining …

Transmute, Joseph Montroy

Theses

Man has an enduring subconscious connection with anthropological imagery and narrative. This association extends to the methods and practices that place importance on certain objects over others. In every culture throughout history the shared understanding of existence has been determined by images, symbols and archetypes. Intuitive logic and shared unconscious knowledge pervaded the daily lives of pre-modern man. Early people maintained a stronger connection with nature, spirituality and the subconscious. Archaic man acknowledged one stone among many as possessing spiritual properties. That stone could become a sacred receptacle that differentiated it from all others and saturated it with meaning and …

Reincarnating The Micro Universe, Jeong Ah Bae

Theses

My “Reincarnation Series” traces the meaning of life, rebirth and the cycle of transformation. It is an outcome of my quest to bridge the internal and external worlds of human experience, rich with polarities and full of complementary forces and opposite energies, properties, and attributes. This blending of contrasts in our world creates beauty. My work stems from my belief in Buddhism and portrays the full engagement in the world of a person’s unreserved presence, including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energies. My work reveals how each individual is in a fluid web, within and without consciousness, receptive to growth. …

Indians, Land, And Ideology : The Disruption Of Nationalism In The Works Of Lydia Maria Child And Henry David Thoreau, Lynn Marie Fedele

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis discusses presentations of American Indian culture and civilization in mid-nineteenth century American literature, especially as written by two northern Abolitionist writers, Henry David Thoreau and Lydia Maria Child. Tracing how these presentations are used to work both with and against developing American nationalism, most importantly in terms of the morality of U.S. expansionism, this paper explores the connections between Indians and land. As race is critical in nineteenth century nationalism, and land is necessary to industrial capitalism and U.S. expansionism, how these constructs are linked ideologically serves to either uphold or challenge the spread ot the U.S. westward …

On The Use Of Emg-Ratios To Assess The Coordination Of Back Muscles, Christian Larivière, A. Bertrand Arsenault

Études primaires

No abstract provided.