Digital Commons Network^™

Universal Electric And Magnetic Fields Analyzer System, Yong Cheh Ho

Masters Theses

"Near-field probing is often used to measure the electric and magnetic fields above a printed circuit board (PCB) or integrated circuits (IC) chip in order to identify the sources and coupling paths of an electromagnetic interference (EMI) problem.

A wideband universal field analyzer was designed, built and tested in this thesis. The system is able to provide fast field scanning over a wide frequency range in lieu of its capabilities to measure multiple field components using a single probe design. Central to the system operation is the phase-shifting concept that provides wideband and wide- range phase-shifting.

The complete universal field …

User-Generated Content And Virtual Worlds, Greg Lastowka

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Many legal commentators have claimed that virtual worlds owe their popularity to their focus on user-generated content and user creativity. While this is true in part and authorial freedom may draw consumers to virtual worlds, user-generated content can also pose risks to virtual world business from both an aesthetic and legal perspective. A significant tension exists between permitting participants to create content freely and building a successful virtual environment. In some instances, user-generated content can overwhelm virtual worlds. The future of user-generated content in virtual worlds is not clear, given the significant practical and legal problems that accompany user-generated content.

Pornography, Coercion, And Copyright Law 2.0, Ann Bartow

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The lack of regulation of the production of pornography in the United States leaves pornography performers exposed to substantial risks. Producers of pornography typically respond to attempts to regulate pornography as infringements upon free speech. At the same time, large corporations involved in the production and sale of pornography rely on copyright law's complex regulatory framework to protect their pornographic content from copying and unauthorized distribution. Web 2.0 also facilitates the production and distribution of pornography by individuals. These user-generators produce their own pornography, often looking to monetize their productions themselves via advertising revenues and subscription models. Much like their …

Fantasy Crime: The Role Of Criminal Law In Virtual Worlds, Susan W. Brenner

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article analyzes activity in virtual worlds that would constitute crime if they were committed in the real world. It reviews the evolution of virtual worlds like Second Life and notes research which indicates that more and more of our lives will move into this realm. The Article then analyzes the criminalization of virtual conduct that inflicts "harm" in the real world and virtual conduct that only inflicts "harm" in the virtual world. It explains that the first category qualifies as cybercrime and can be prosecuted under existing law. Finally, it analyzes the necessity and propriety of criminalizing the second …

A Libel Law Analysis Of Media Abuses In Reporting On The Duke Lacrosse Fabricated Rape Charges, David A. Elder

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The broad outlines of the monumental injustices involved in the Duke lacrosse rape-that-never-happened case are well known. An unethical local prosecutor, Michael B. Nifong, for partisan political reasons, pursued the Duke lacrosse team and ultimately indicted three of its members based almost solely on the accusations of a wholly unreliable, self-proclaimed victim. Nifong received generous support and sustenance from many left-leaning, politically active Duke faculty, an extraordinarily inept (or worse) Duke administration, and almost the entirety of the mainstream media. Ultimately, following a detailed analysis by his office, North Carolina Attorney General Roy A. Cooper publicly excoriated Nifong in concluding …

Xiaoning V. Yahoo! Inc.'S Invocation Of The Alien Tort Statute: An Important Issue But An Improper Vehicle, Denae Thomas

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

U.S.-based Internet service providers (ISPs) are faced with a dilemma when operating in countries with restrictive Internet speech laws: should they comply with these governments' demands for personally identifying information of Internet dissidents or respect their own country's dedication to free speech and refuse to comply? On behalf of Chinese dissidents who were imprisoned for violating Chinese speech laws, human rights advocates have invoked the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) in an attempt to hold ISPs accountable for their acquiescence with the Chinese government's demands. This Note examines one such case, Xiaoning v. Yahoo! Inc., and ultimately concludes that, while the …

Access This: Why Institutions Of Higher Education Must Provide Access To The Internet To Students With Disabilities, Nina Golden

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

No one questions whether the ADA applies to institutions of higher education. Title II applies to public colleges and universities, while Title III applies to private ones. With some exceptions, colleges and universities must make their programs and services accessible by providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. What is significantly less clear, and thus the topic of dispute among courts and commentators, is whether the ADA requires colleges and universities to provide access to the Internet to students with disabilities. Much of the dispute revolves around the meaning of the term "place of public accommodation." Some courts have required …

The Fair Use Doctrine And Trackjacking: Beautiful Animal Or Destroyer Of Worlds?, S. Wayne Clemons, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

"Trackjacking" is the unauthorized replacement of the original soundtrack of an audiovisual recording, such as a movie or television show, with another that is designed to alter substantially the plot and/or characters of the original work. While trackjacking is a creative and entertaining form of art, it may also constitute copyright infringement if the original work is one that is copyrighted. However, if certain criteria are met, the "fair use" doctrine provides a mechanism for courts to excuse what otherwise would be considered copyright infringement. Because the unique nature of trackjacking allows the new work to be distributed in such …

Why Music Should Be Socialized, Matthew Reynolds

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Setting aside commodities of necessity like food and clothing, perhaps no other product is as universal and popular as music. It is no surprise that millions of dollars are spent trying to package and harness it into a marketable form. Perhaps it is that same quality of universality, its "primal nature," that makes music such an untamable and unruly beast these days. The question of how to sell music effectively (and for some, whether or not it should be sold in the first place) is one that has been hashed and rehashed by those inside and outside of the industry. …

Wringing Songwriters Dry: Negative Consequences Of Compulsory Licensing For Ringtones, Daniel H. Mark

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

On October 16, 2006, the United States Copyright Office concluded in a Memorandum Opinion (the Ringtone Opinion) that, subject to certain caveats, the Copyright Act's § 115 statutory license applies to ringtones. The Copyright Office concluded that ringtones (including monophonic and polyphonic ringtones, as well as mastertones) are phonorecords, and deliveries of ringtones by wire or wireless transmission constitute digital phonorecord deliveries subject to compulsory licensing under § 115.2

In the Ringtone Opinion, the Copyright Office provided a testto determine whether a particular ringtone will qualify for thestatutory compulsory license under § 115. The opinion noted that...

"whether a particular …

Just Click Submit: The Collection, Dissemination, And Tagging Of Personally Identifying Information, Corey Ciocchetti

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

As the twenty-first century bustles forward, the e-commerce arena becomes an ever more dangerous place. On a daily basis, Websites collect vast amounts of personally identifying information (PHII) and mine it in sophisticated databases to discover consumer trends and desires. This process provides many benefits--such as tailored Web sites and relevant marketing--that few Web surfers would care to do without. However, serious threats lurk in cyberspace and are enhanced by consumers who continue to submit vast amounts of information in a state of relative unawareness. Not wanting to miss out on their Web surfing experience, visitors submit their personal information …

Three-Dimensional Laminar And Turbulent Convection In Separated Flow, Magesh Thiruvengadam

Doctoral Dissertations

"Three-dimensional laminar and turbulent separated flow and heat transfer in plane symmetric sudden expansion and plane backward facing step is examined in this dissertation. In Papers I, II, and III, simulations of 3-D laminar forced convection in plane symmetric expansion is studied...In Paper IV, 3-D turbulent flow measurements using Laser Doppler Velocimeter are made in a backward facing step flow and the three velocity components and the Reynolds stresses are measured in the separated and redeveloping flow region...In Paper V, the 2-D behavior of a thin film that is shear driven by turbulent air flow is simulated"--Abstract, page iv.

Estimating Bounds For Nonidentifiale Parameters Using Potential Outcomes, Thidaporn Supapakorn

Doctoral Dissertations

"Conclusions from studies vary regarding the association of weight loss among obese people and measures of health and/or mortality. Total weight loss for individuals in a population may be a combination of intentional weight loss (IWL) and unintentional weight loss (UWL). Among people who have no intention to lose weight, the total weight loss observed is UWL. Among people who have intention to lose weight, the total weight loss is assumed to be UWL and IWL. Note that total weight loss among subjects intending to lose weight is observable but IWL itself is not and, therefore, the latent variable that …

Modeling, Analysis And Experimentation For Building Ice Parts With Supports Using Rapid Freeze Prototyping, Frances D. Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rapid Freeze Prototyping (RFP) is a freeform fabrication method that freezes water droplets into ice in a layer-by-layer manner to additively create a 3-dimensional part. Each layer of a geometry is deposited and allowed to freeze before the next layer is added. Ice parts produced by RFP can be used in investment casting to replace wax patterns and in other applications which may benefit from the unconventional method of using ice as a pattern or mold. More recently, a sacrificial support material has been incorporated into RFP so that over-hung areas and complex geometries can be fabricated. The research presented …

Thin Film Techniques For The Fabrication Of Nano-Scale High Energy Density Capacitors, James N. Reck

Doctoral Dissertations

Dielectric thin films of either TiO₂ or BaTiO₃ were sputtered in O₂/Ar plasmas on Si wafers to thicknesses ranging from approximately 25 to 200 nm with patterned Ni or Pt electrodes sputtered in Ar plasmas at thicknesses from about 20 to 250 nm to form nano-capacitors. Statistical design of experiments (DOE) was used to determine the effects of the deposition power, plasma composition, and deposition temperature on the measured electrical properties of the nano-capacitors. Additional tests to determine the effects of the dielectric and electrode thickness on the measured dielectric responses of the devices were also undertaken. Characterization was performed …

Physical Modeling Of Railroad Ballast Using The Parallel Gradation Scaling Technique Within The Cyclical Triaxial Framework, Adam F. Sevi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Due to the difficulties involved with testing large particle granular materials such as rockfill and railroad ballast, several methods of testing scaled down model specimens have been introduced. Of these techniques, the parallel gradation model has been found to be most useful. The parallel gradation model states that a smaller grainsize distribution model granular material, of the same composition as the prototype material, can be used in triaxial testing at a scaled down grainsize, if the model materials grainsize is exactly parallel to the prototype material. Therefore, a model granular material composed of a smaller, but parallel, grainsize distribution can …

Business-Oriented Software Process Improvement Based On Cmm And Cmmi Using Qfd, Yan Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

"Software Process Improvement (SPI) has become the key to the survival of many software development organizations. Many international SPI models/standards are developed for SPI. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)) from the Software Engineering Institute are two SPI models. In this study, several existing SPI models and approaches are reviewed, their advantages are identified, and their drawbacks are discussed. A set of new SPI frameworks integrating Quality Function Deployment (QFD) with both CMM and CMMI are developed by combining the best features of previous approaches and addressing their limitations"--Abstract, page iii.

Modeling And Simulations Of Diphasic Composites For Development Of High Energy Density Dielectrics, Sandeep K. Patil

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research is focused on diphasic dielectric composites for high energy density storage applications in pulsed power and power distribution systems. Composite materials are particularly attractive because they can synergistically combine high permittivity with high breakdown strength of the individual phases. Energy density, which captures permittivity and dielectric breakdown strength as vital material parameters, dominates this research challenge. Avenues for increasing the effective permittivity and breakdown strength may be found by gaining fundamental understanding of the response of diphasic dielectrics to an applied electric field. Improved understanding of these characteristics will ultimately lead to dielectrics with increased energy storage densities. …

Probabilistic Analysis Of Defect Tolerance In Asynchronous Nano Crossbar Architecture, Shikha Chaudhary

Masters Theses

"Among recent advancements in technology, nanotechnology is particularly promising. Most researchers have begun to focus their efforts on developing nano scale circuits. Nano scale devices such as carbon nano tubes (CNT) and silicon nano wires (SiNW) form the primitive building blocks of many nano scale logic devices and recently developed computing architecture. One of the most promising nanotechnologies is crossbar-based architecture, a two-dimensional nanoarray, formed by the intersection of two orthogonal sets of parallel and uniformly-spaced CNTs or SiNWs. Nanowire crossbars offer the potential for ultra-high density, which has never been achieved by photolithography. In an effort to improve these …

Unsteady Flow And Heat Transfer In Periodic Complex Geometries For The Transitional Flow Regime, Li-Kwen Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Diesel engines are facing significant challenges with upcoming changes in emissions standards. In general, meeting the increased emission standards will require a larger fraction of the engine heat rejection to occur in the vehicle cooling system. For certain applications, the surface geometry must also be such that it resists particulate fouling, precluding common interrupted surfaces such as louvered fins. Although acceptable continuous surface geometries such as bumped fin geometries are in use, the impacts of changing the parameters of this geometry are unknown. This study investigates the transport characteristics of bumped fins in the transitional flow regime using unsteady multi-dimensional …

Aging Effects On The Transcription Of Differentially Impaired Dysarthric Speech, Molly Anne Duggan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Thirty participants transcribed 60 words and 30 sentences spoken by persons with dysarthria. Participants, all aged 65 and older were divided into three age groups: Young-Old, Middle-Old, and Old-Old. Each group was comprised of 10 participants. Stimuli were recorded by two male speakers with differing severity levels of dysarthria. Results suggested age did affect the transcription scores, as the Young-Old participants were able to transcribe words and sentences with greater accuracy than the Old-Old participants. The severity of the dysarthric speaker also affected the accuracy of participants in transcribing their words and sentences. Utterances produced by the speaker with mild …

The Stress-Affiliation Paradigm Revisited: Do People Prefer The Kindness Of Strangers Or Their Attractiveness?, Norman P. Li, Rose A. Halterman, Margaret J. Cason, George P. Knight, Jon K. Maner

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Two studies employed a classic affiliation-under-stress paradigm and examined people's preferences for affiliating with kind versus attractive same- and opposite-sex targets. When men were under default conditions of low stress, they preferred to affiliate with attractive women. However, men placed in a high stress situation instead preferred to interact with kind women. Regardless of stress level, women preferred to affiliate with kind, rather than attractive, men. When choosing among interaction partners of their own sex, participants uniformly chose to interact with kind others, regardless of stress level. This research builds on traditional stress-affiliation research, which has focused on whether people …

Alejandro Amenábar And The Embodiment Of Skepticism In ​Abre Los Ojos​, David Laraway

Faculty Publications

For most philosophers of the Anglo-American tradition, the problem of radical skepticism and its variants - i.e., the possibility that I could be massively mistaken in my beliefs about the external world, other minds, and even myself - no longer has the cachet itonce did. Although itmaintains a respectable place in contemporary epistemology it is clearly on the periphery of the discipline and no longer claims the attention once devoted to it by philosophers of the stature of Descartes, Hume, and Kant. Pride of place now goes, rather, to the task of naturalizing epistemology, which seeks to interpret questions about …

Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, And Waste, David A. Jensen

Faculty Publications

Can one consistently deny the permissibility of abortion while endorsing the killing of human embryos for the sake of stem cell research? The question is not trivial; for even if one accepts that abortion is prima facie wrong in all cases, there are significant differences with many of the embryos used for stem cell research from those involved in abortion—most prominently, many have been abandoned in vitro, and appear to have no reasonably likely meaningful future. On these grounds one might think to maintain a strong position against abortion but endorse killing human embryos for the sake of stem cell …

A Culture Of Necrophilia: The Rise Of The Undead In Film, Lugene Rosen

Library Articles and Research

In recent years, the undead have been on the rise in films. Zombies and vampires are taking center stage and raking in money in record amounts. Resident Evil moved on to its fourth installment, 28 Days Later morphed into 28 Weeks Later, and 30 Days of Night is scoring some serious box office attention. George Romero, the king of the undead film, released his latest Land of the Dead, fourth in the Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead series. There has even been an updated remake of Dawn …

Electronic Field Production, Steelman Library, Roxane Griner

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Importance And Effect Of Nitrogen On Crop Quality And Health, Jürg Blumenthal, David D. Baltensperger, Kenneth G. Cassman, Stephen Mason, Alexander Pavlista

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) is often the most limiting factor in crop production. Hence, application of fertilizer nitrogen results in higher biomass yields and protein yield and concentration in plant tissue is commonly increased. Nitrogen often affects amino acid composition of protein and in turn its nutritional quality. In cereals, abundant supply of nitrogen decreases the relative proportion of lysine and threonine, thus, reducing the biological value of the protein. Increasing nitrogen supply generally improves kernel integrity and strength, resulting in better milling properties of the grain. In oil seed crops, protein levels are increased upon nitrogen fertilization, whereas oil concentration is …

Anatomy/ Physiology Lab Syllabus, Steelman Library, B Mcconchie Dr

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Microbiology, Steelman Library, B Mcconchie Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Microbiology, Steelman Library, B Mcconchie Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.