This thesis presents results of the measurements of thebranching fraction of the decaysD

As the name suggests this thesis is a part ofdevelopment of a Mutli-Technology FPGA (MT-FPGA). The presentFPGAs do not facilitate the prototyping of designs with MultiTechnology blocks like MEMS and photonic devices, which arecurrently a rapidly growing technology. The proposed MT-FPGAincorporates multi technology blocks in the traditionalwell-developed FPGAs, confined to electronics. This thesis mainlyconcerns the development of an Input/Output block (I/O Block) forthe proposed MT-FPGA. The nee...

Biology, Microbiology

The foodborne pathogen,Eschericia coliO157:H7, causes about 73,000 cases of illness/year in the U.S.Life-threatening complications include hemorrhagic colitis andhemolytic uremic syndrome. A major disease determinant forO157:H7 is the production of Shiga toxin (Stx) in the intestine.Two immunologically distinct types of Stx, Stx1 and Stx2, can beproduced by O157:H7, and the production of Stx2 has beenepidemiologically linked to more severe disease. Regulation ofthe Shiga toxins byE. coliis uniqu...

History, Ancient

This thesis examines the official policies pursued bythe imperial government towards Gothic tribes under Theodosius I,both those within and without Roman borders, and attempts toidentify the interaction between the Roman populace and theGothic settlers within Roman borders. It also attempts toidentify the general attitudes of certain groups within theempire

Biology, Molecular

Calcineurin is a calcium-regulated serine-threonineprotein phosphatase that controls developmental and induciblebiological responses in diverse cell types, in part throughactivation of the transcription factors nuclear factor ofactivated T cells (NFAT) and myocyte enhancer binding factor 2(MEF2). In skeletal muscle, calcineurin has been implicated inthe regulation of myoblast differentiation, myofiber hypertrophy,and fiber-type switching in response to alterations inintracellular calcium concent...

Code division multiple access (CDMA) is one of the most promising candidates for the next generation wireless personal and mobile communication systems. Unfortunately, due to the multipath nature of the wireless channels, the effective signature waveforms among the active mobile users in the receiver end are often non-orthogonal. Therefore, CDMA systems suffer from cochannel interference, which results in the near-far problem and constitutes a major impediment to the overall system performance.T...

A major concern of cellular and PCS-based wirelesslocation systems is the effect of the harsh propagationenvironment, particularly non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation.In time based solutions, the NLOS error contributes most of thetime of arrival (TOA) or time difference of arrival (TDOA)measurement error. This error will harshly degrade the mobilestation (MS) location algorithm performance. Thus, it is ofinterest to mitigate the NLOS error. In order to improve locationaccuracy under such condit...

Music

Revered as Denmark

Engineering, Environmental

Combined sewer overflow (CSO) pollution is a widespreadproblem throughout the United States. A novel CSO WWTF thatconsists of primary sedimentation tanks and fine mesh screens wasbuilt and is in operation along the Muddy Creek in Cincinnati,OH. In 2003, twelve wet weather events were sampled, and thenutrient concentrations in the influent and effluent of the WWTFwere measured. The WWTF exhibited removal efficiencies rangingbetween 12-83% for Total N, 12- 86% for NH3-N and 75-82.8% forPO43-P when...

Political Science, General

This work will explore in three sections how theoristJean Jacques Rousseau

Music

Franz Schubert

Architecture

This thesis begins where design generally ends. Itseeks sense out of processes that affect every building that hasbeen built or going to be built. These processes areenvironmental, from inside out/outside in, and are commonlyperceived as signs of deterioration. To varying degrees it isinevitable that a building will age, be neglected, or miss ascheduled maintenance. I intend to explore through design thedynamic interrelationship of materials, time, and nature and howwe construct with them. Mater...

Health Sciences, Pharmacy

Acquired hyperpigmentation diseases, are common skindiseases. An example is melasma that is permanent in middle-agedwomen. Hyperpigmentation diseases have psychosocial and cosmeticimportance since they are common on sun-exposed areas of the faceand the neck. Various treatments are available in the market, butnone are completely satisfactory. Most popular skin depigmentingproducts use a tyrosinase inhibitor as the active ingredient as aresult of the key role played by tyrosinase in melaninbiosynt...

The operation frequency of the communication systemslike cell phones and LANs vary from 900MHz to 5.5GHz. Forsatellite communications the operating frequency is about 10 GHz.While a Si BJT works well for frequencies less than 2GHz, forhigh frequencies, III-V based transistors are used. Apart frombeing more expensive than the Si based technology, theIII-V

Engineering, Aerospace

A normalized form of Euler s equations is rewrittenusing a variation of parameters approach with amplitudes andangular displacement as parameters. This new form is compact andyields a much more accurate numerically integrated solution overlonger simulation intervals than a conventional integration ofEuler s equations. The complete variation of parametersformulation involves the classical Jacobian elliptic functions aswell as standard elliptic integrals. Since this formulation isdeveloped in the ...

Biology, Molecular

Annexin V is a promising candidate as an anticoagulantand anti-inflammatory agent due to its high affinity for anionicphospholipid surfaces. Its abundance and tissue localization inplacental trophoblasts and vascular endothelial cells imply aphysiological importance in these tissues. In the first sectionof this study, I demonstrate that annexin V is critical inmaintaining murine placental integrity. I conclude that theprotecting role of annexin V appears to be local because I didnot detect the p...

The acid catalyzed alkylation of isobutane with2-butene is an effective method of obtaining highly branched C8paraffins whose octane numbers are quite high. Zeolite-basedcatalysts have shown excellent initial selectivity, but theiractivity decreases quickly with time on stream. This deactivationis a result of two factors: acid site blockage and pore blockage.Product molecules are unable to desorb from the acid site becauseof a diminished hydride transfer capability, thus preventingfurther alkyla...

; Chemistry, Physical

The dynamic properties of RK peptide both free andcoupled to a model carrier protein (BPTI) were determined usingmultidimensional, natural abundance 13C NMR techniques. Thispeptide is derived from the third hypervariable region of thegp120 protein envelope of HIV-1, isolate BH-10, and has thesequence RIQRGPGRAFVTIGK. This region represents the principleneutralization domain (PND) of HIV-1, and corresponds to residues308-322 of the gp120 protein envelope. A C-terminal, cysteinylversion of RK pept...

Computer Science

The performance and the computing power of theprocessors is growingat a phenomenal rate leading to increasedpower dissipation and hence lower battery life. There are someinitiatives being undertaken in this area to decrease the powerrequirements of processors, using hardware and softwaremechanisms. In our work, we try to investigate a softwaretechnique to reduce power consumption in high performanceprocessors with multiple functional units. The leakage current,which leads to static power is beco...

Despite advances in the treatment of cancer patients,spread, or metastasis, of tumor cells remains a major cause ofdeath. Although metastasis is a complex process, an importantcomponent is cell motility. Acquisition of motility allows tumorcells to breach normal barriers and thereby disseminate.Regulation of motile behavior is poorly understood, but evidencesuggests the cadherin family of adhesion molecules plays animportant role. The goal of my thesis was to investigateregulation of epithelial ...

Computer Science

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is perhaps the mostinteresting aspect of the Java programming environment. Muchattention has been placed on porting non-Java languages to theJVM. Such ports are useful since JVMs are now embedded inhardware devices, as well as in software applications such as webbrowsers. In addition, well designed JVM ports can utilize theJVM as a common object model for multiple languages, allowinglarger applications to easily be written in and scripted withmultiple programming l...

Engineering, Nuclear

The Monte Carlo code MCNP4B was used to investigate theradiation dose distribution in several areas of intravascularbrachytherapy that would be very difficult or impossible toinvestigate experimentally or analytically. A model for aliquid-filled balloon catheter was developed and validated bycomparing the results of Monte Carlo simulations withexperimental measurements made in a tissue equivalent phantom.The dose distribution in the coronary vessel wall from aliquid-filled balloon catheter conta...

Literature, English

Applying the critical methodologies of psychoanalyticobject-relations theory and cultural studies, this dissertationfocuses on recurring representations of women intellectualcharacters and their relationship to (and reactions against) bothmatrilineal and patriarchal traditions in fiction writing andacademia. I argue that twentieth-century British women writerswork through their anxieties regarding gender and scholarshipthrough their use (or misuse) of convention, phrasing, and vexedcharacters. W...

; Health Sciences, Pathology

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) acts as both anendocrine hormone in circulation and an autocrine/paracrinegrowth factor within individual tissues. Numerous studies haveshown that IGF-I plays important roles in proliferation,apoptosis and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. However, theprecise role of paracrine IGF-I in specific tissue environmentsremains unclear, especially in bone and smooth muscle cells(SMC). To examine the effects of IGF-I in different environmentsin vivo, transgenic m...

The work reported herein is the exploration of sensorsto be used in a unified utilities (Natural gas, water andelectricity) metering scheme. A unified utilities metering schemewith remote sensing capability will essentially be a viablealternative to the present stand alone systems which have notundergone sufficient changes to cater for present day demands.MEMS-based sensors that were explored in this effort support costreduction due to batch production and sensitivity enhancement.Silicon bulk mi...

Literature, English

Loosely structured as a bildungsroman, this collectionof four short stories was originally written over a period ofabout two years, from 1997 to 1999. Each story has, at its heart,a highly-fictionalized recounting of an event in my lifetime,beginning from the time I was a teenager, to a time some twelveyears or so later. As the manuscript progresses, the maincharacter at first finds some redemption in family, then becauseof various flaws in his character, he begins to move along faultlines that ...

The gap between the speed of logic and DRAM access iswidening. Existing solutions are stop-gap measures; cache missrates are becoming higher than the rate at which memory canprovide data. Furthermore, trends in applications suggest thatfuture workloads will be more data-intensive. A potentialsolution to the memory bottleneck problem is the integration ofDRAM and logic on the same die. Such solutions are motivated bythe following: (i) the bandwidth available within the chip ismany orders of magni...

This dissertation presents a methodology for behavioralsynthesis of analog and mixed signal systems based on rapidprototyping followed by technology retargeting. Rapid prototypingwith field-programmable devices enables fast implementation of afunction-compliant hardware prototype, while technologyretargeting converts the functional prototype to an ASIC. Thesynthesis environment comprises of field-programmablemixed-signal prototyping hardware integrated with the designtools for automated synthesi...

Architecture

Because it provides efficient, functional, and safeenvironments as well as shapes people s experiences, fewprofessions are more consequential than interior design. Yetlittle research has been done on the history of its professionaland educational systems. This thesis will attempt to examineimportant issues in interior design, including the historicalevolution of interior design s educational system. In examiningthese issues, it became apparent that significant character andcurricular differences...

Visible and infrared (IR) rare-earth-activated lightemission has been obtained from Er-doped GaN electroluminescentdevices (ELD). The ELD structure consists of an in-situ Er-dopedGaN layer grown on either a sapphire or silicon (Si) substrate,using indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes. The GaN filmwas grown by molecular beam epitaxy using solid sources for Gaand Er and a plasma source for N2. The temperature dependence ofthe light emission and the current conduction is reported. The ELsp...

Geochemistry

Member is composed of heterogeneous sequences ofdiscontinuous lenses composed primarily of quartzite, marble, andamphibolite. The Straits Schist was deposited as a laterallyextensive fining upward shale sequence that records organic-richsedimentation in the Southington Mountain Member. Whole-rockgeochemical analysis was used to verify stratigraphic relationsand identify provenance and protoliths in meta-sedimentary andmeta-volcanic rocks. Tectonic discrimination diagrams using Tiand V suggest th...

Geology

As part of ongoing research investigating whether ornot glacial systems in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres haveresponded synchronously to climate change, a Little Ice Age (LIA)glacial chronology was established for the Classen and GodleyGlaciers, Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand. Additionally, apopulation-based method of lichenometry was developed andrelative retreat pattern established for the Classen and GodleyForeplains, which was then verified against historical recordsfrom the Mo...

Engineering, Mechanical

Stability is imperative in the design of hydraulicsystems. Servo-hydraulic systems are inherently non-linearcreating various nuances when analyzing the stability of thesystem. Friction, port flow, saturation, impact loading, linedynamics, and boundary conditions are a few of the manynon-linearities found in servo-hydraulic systems which are to beanalyzed using advanced non-linear stability analysis techniques.Some effects of instabilities induced by non-linearities such aspressure oscillations, ...

Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics

Radio astronomy is the science of collectingextra-terrestrial radiation in the range of 15 MHz to 600 GHz togain understanding of celestial objects. In this thesis I discussboth the single parabolic reflector radio telescope and thetwo-telescope radio interferometer used in radio astronomy. Thetotal power received by a parabolic reflector is dependent on thesize of the antenna, the efficiency of the reflector, thewavelength of light under observation, and the angular responseof the antenna, call...

Engineering, Industrial

One of the major challenges in designing intelligentvehicles capable of autonomous travel on highways is reliableobstacle detection. Obstacle avoidance is one of the key problemsin computer vision and mobile robotics. There has been a greatamount of research devoted to the obstacle detection problem formobile robot platforms and intelligent vehicles. Any mobile robotthat must reliably operate in an unknown or dynamic environmentmust be able to perform obstacle detection. As road followingsystems...

Light-activated compounds that cleave nucleic acids, orphotonucleases, are a subject of intense investigation.Photonucleases may find use in photodynamic therapy or assynthetic, customized restriction enzymes. A target-specificphotonuclease offers both locational and temporal control of itsactivation. This work focuses on the synthesis and evaluation ofsuch photonucleases based on the dihydrodioxin (DHD) system. Thisclass of molecule is most efficiently constructed by a visiblelight 4+2 Sch&...

Chemistry, Biochemistry

Penicillin-class antibiotics, known as Beta-lactams,are one of medicine s most valuable weapons against bacterialdisease. These drugs infiltrate susceptible bacteria andinterrupt normal growth via interactions with a class of cellwall-synthesizing enzymes known as penicillin-binding proteins(PBPs). Some pathogens, however, can escape such a fate.Beta-lactam antibiotics are not currently prescribed for thetreatment of tuberculosis, although it has now been shown thatcommercially available lactams...

; Literature, American

The dissertation is an examination of how nature issocially constructed in particular texts of contemporary AmericanFiction. In discussing the novels of Thomas Pynchon, RichardPowers, and Jonathan Franzen, and the non-fiction of Mike Davis,I argue that their works accurately depict how nature is createdbecause they recognize the idea of nature as a textual artifact.Fully aware of their textual limitations, these works acknowledgeand foreground the ontological uncertainty present in theirwriting,...

Literature, Romance

One means which communities have of preserving andlegitimizing their national identity is by creating a culturalspace defined by the existence of a literature which providesindividuals with a shared imagined community. This study analyzeshow the authors of early modern Basque texts, beginning with thefirst print text by Etxepare, articulate and preserve a space forBasque national identity. Chapter one provides a synopsis of thehistory of the Basque Country. Although a Basque nation state hasneve...

; Biology, Molecular

Epithelial tissues mediate absorptive and secretory iontransport processes to maintain physiological equilibrium of ionsand fluid. These processes are mediated in part by ion transportproteins expressed throughout the mammalian gastrointestinaltract and the renal nephron. Ion transporters regulate, eitherdirectly or indirectly, blood and extracellular fluid volume andcomposition, stomach acid secretion, digestion and nutrientabsorption, and excretion of metabolic by-products. Many of thegenes en...

Health Sciences, Nursing

Cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) are soft tissueinjuries of the muscles, nerves, and joints, such as carpaltunnel syndrome. CTDs are an accumulation of progressivepathological changes that ultimately culminate into an injury.The hallmark symptoms of clinical CTDs are discomfort, pain, andparesthesias. The severity of symptoms can vary between atransient aching, discomfort, and fatigue to significant pain andparesthesias that result in permanent disability. Upper extremityCTDs are common in ind...

Engineering, Mechanical

Saturated, nucleate pool boiling in aqueous surfactantsolutions is investigated experimentally. Also, the role ofMarangoni convection, driven both by temperature and surfactantconcentration gradients at the vapor-liquid interface of anucleating bubble is computationally explored. Boiling ofsurfactant solutions is important in many key industrialapplications such as hygiene and personal care, pharmaceutical,and food processing, among others. Moreover, surfactants in traceamounts are present in bo...

Engineering, Aerospace

Pulsed laser irradiation of the surface of a medium canproduce temporally and spatially distributed thermal stresses anddeformations that can be exploited for enhanced detection ofsmall fatigue cracks. Two such enhancement methods wereinvestigated in this research project. First, using long-pulselaser irradiation in combination with conventional Rayleigh waveinspection, direct generation of ultrasonic Rayleigh waves can beavoided and the relatively slow laser induced crack closure canbe detected...

Engineering, Environmental

The chemical reaction pathway for the viable flue gasdesulfurization process, dry sodium bicarbonate injection, wasinvestigated to mitigate undesirable plume discoloration. Basedon a foundation of past findings, a simplified three-stepreaction pathway was hypothesized for the formation of theplume-discoloring constituent, NO2. As the first step, it was hypothesized that sodium sulfiteformed by sodium bicarbonate reaction with flue gas SO2. As the second step, it was hypothesized that sodium nitr...

In the thesis entitled "Justice and Multi-PartyPolitics" I argue that minor-party candidates in the UnitedStates cannot fairly compete in elections with major-partycandidates. In an attempt to understand their situation I turn tothe theory of justice advanced by John Rawls. But Rawls

Engineering, Mechanical

The hydrodynamic characteristics of fully developedaxial laminar flow of non-Newtonian fluids in eccentric annuliwith a rotating inner cylinder are investigated. Thenon-Newtonian, shear-thinning fluid is modeled by the Power-lawor Ostwald-de Waele constitutive relationship. Usingfinite-difference method to solve the governing flow equations inbipolar coordinates, computational results for a wide range ofannulus geometry (0.2 ≤ r* ≤ 0.8, 0 ≤eccentricity ≤ 0...

Chemistry, Organic

A series of Dihydrodioxins has been synthesized as partof a research program investigating the development of2,2,3-triaryl- and2,3-diaryl-2,3-dihydrophenanthro[9,10-b]-1,4-dioxins(dihydrodioxins) as efficient DNA cleaving agents. Thedihydrodioxins are unique, photochemical, masked o-quinone DNAcleaving agents. When used in combination with DNAsequence-recognizing groups, they have the potential to be animportant tool in the fight against cancer, and /or geneticdisease. The focus of this research...

Biology, Ecology

Zimmerman, Christopher Lee. M.S., Department ofBiological Sciences, Wright State University, 2002. UsingEcological Land Units in a Gap Analysis for Conservation Planningin a Southwestern Ohio Watershed. Gap analysis is a method toidentify insufficiency in biodiversity protection. In degradedagricultural landscapes, it requires information on the past,present, and the potential natural distribution of forestvegetation to construct a comprehensive nature reserve network.Using Geographic Informatio...

Biology, Microbiology

Renick, Paul James Rhodes. M.S. in Microbiology andImmunology, Wright State University. 2002. CD28 CostimulationRequirement for Interferon-y Secretion by Natural Killer T cellsDuring Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Natural Killer T cells (NKTcells) are a unique subset of lymphocytes that express naturalkiller (NK) and T cell receptors (TCR). The NKT cell populationincludes four separate subclasses. This paper will focus onCategory I NKT cells which possess a canonical TCR receptor(Va14Ja281) that r...

Environmental Sciences

ABSTRACT Greenberg, Marc Samuel. Ph.D., Department ofBiological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Program, WrightState University, 2002. Defining Benthic Organism Exposure:Bioavailability and Effects of Non-Polar Organics. Laboratory andfield tests were conducted to evaluate the hypothesis thatfactors such as the total organic carbon (TOC) contents andgroundwater-surface water interactions (GSI) in the sediments canaffect chemical desorption, bioavailability and benthic organismexposure. Labor...