Architecture

I began with a place, the Roman ruin of San Lorenzo in Milan. This place has been a "provocateur," not an object or a set of parameters from which I responded. Architectural readings of the city are contaminated with foreshadowings or hints of what is yet to appear. One may read the city as "Janus" who pulsates back and forth leaving traces of past cosmogonies which look forward to being remembered. As the "haruspex" regards the liver in order to auspiciously found ...

Veterinary Medical Sciences

Certain organophosphorus compounds have the ability to induce a delayed neuropathic condition in sensitive species termed organophosphorus compound-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). Esteratic changes associated with OPIDN have been successfully modeled in vitro. The physical characteristics of lesion development in OPIDN including the mode of nerve cell death, cytotoxic initiator and effector molecules, and cytoskeletal involvement have received little in vitro investigation. This dissertat...

Political Science

In this paper I apply the Rational Actor model to the 1993-1994 North KoreanNuclear Crisis. I begin with two hypotheses: 1) North Korea attempted nuclear armamentbecause of its perception of threat from South Korea and the United States; 2) NorthKorea attempted nuclear armament because it wanted to use its nuclear program asleverage to obtain economic assistance from the United States. I conduct a diplomatichistorical analysis based on the Rational Actor model to determine which was NorthKoreas ...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Levels of Effectiveness of Communication Skills Used by College Students During The Job Search ProcessbyRobin PorterCommittee Chair: Joan B. HirtEducational Leadership and Policy StudiesABSTRACTOne historic mission of higher education has been to produce good citizens. To ensurethat students develop into productive citizens, institutions of higher education aim to assiststudents in exploring their career interests and finding jobs upon graduation.Employers have reported that college students con...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The research reported in this dissertation focuses on the development of optimization tools for the design of subsystems in a modern aircraft power distribution system. The baseline power distribution system is built around a 270V DC bus. One of the distinguishing features of this power distribution system is the presence of regenerative power from the electrically driven flight control actuators and structurally integrated smart actuators back to the DC bus. The key electrical components of the...

Mechanical Engineering

Lubrication of ceramics is a difficult and not completely solved problem. Ceramics do not respond to conventional lubricants which are designed to function by a chemical reaction with the surface. There is, accordingly, increased interest in the development of lubrication alternatives for ceramics, and in understanding the tribochemical fundamentals by which new lubrication processes can be designed and controlled. In particular, the mechanism of tribopolymerization for some addition-type monome...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The intent of this dissertation is to obtain estimates of the effects of natural terrain features on the propagation and scattering of waves. It begins with the rough knife obstruction case, moves into rough surfaces and finally concludes with several approaches to a foliage covered rough surface. Each of these problems is encountered in radar, remote sensing and communication systems.<p> The first topic in this dissertation is the study of the effect of random edge roughness on th...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

(ABSTRACT)A number of significant changes have occurred in our public schools in recent years. These changes include shifting federal program priorities, adoption of state curriculum standards, and the implementation of site-based decision-making. These changes come at a time when schools are experiencing significant changes in the ethnic and socioeconomic composition of their student body and when many families are struggling to meet challenges arising from poverty or job requirements. Attentio...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are used to convert analog signals to the digital domain in digital communications systems. An ADC used in wireless communications should meet the necessary requirements for the worst-case channel condition. However, the worst-case scenario rarely occurs. As a consequence, a high-resolution and subsequently high power ADC designed for the worst case is not required for most operating conditions. A solution to reduce the power dissipation of ADCs in wireless di...

Architecture

The Log Outbuilding at Solitude:An Architectural and Archaeological Investigationof Virginia Tech¡¯s Second Oldest Building<p>Michael J. Pulice<p>Abstract<p>Solitude is a National Register historic property that is today a central part of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University campus. The property was purchased in 1872 to create the site of the land-grant college that later became VPI. The focus of this study is a log d...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

College Bound: Are High SchoolsPreparing Students for the TaskGerry R. Sokol(ABSTRACT)The number of college freshmen enrolled in developmental courses is an indicator that many American high school graduates are not adequately prepared for college. Research has indicated that from 30% to 69% of high school graduates who entered college are required to take at least one developmental course.<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the high school experiences of freshmen college ...

Architecture

The study of architecture is a journey. This thesis is a stage in that journey that allows me the opportunity to wonder, to explore, and to investigate. During the design of a house for my father, many issues concerning architecture are visited and these inquiries help me to search and develop my own position in architecture. The process of making this project is also a journey. It is a journey to see how an idea can be developed into a building by various means.<p>A building is co...

Engineering Mechanics

As fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) structures find application in highway bridge structures, methodologies for describing their long-term performance under service loading will be a necessity for designers. The designer of FRP bridge structures is faced with out-of-plane damage and delamination at ply interfaces. The damage most often occurs between hybrid plys and dominates the life time response of a thick section FRP structure. The focus of this work is on the performance of the 20.3 cm (8 in)...

Animal and Poultry Sciences

Two trials (n = 160) were conducted to evaluate the effects of the halothane gene, chromium picolinate supplementation, and sex on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in pigs. Halothane negative (NN) and halothane carrier (Nn) pigs (barrows, gilts) were supplemented with either 0 or 200 ppb chromium picolinate from 28.7 to 107.3 kg. There were no differences between genotypes for ADG or G/F. Chromium had no significant effect on any growth, carcass, or muscle quality ch...

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise

Numerous references have suggested that alterations in exercise capacity during congestive heart failure (CHF) are not simply due to changes in myocardial function. In fact, recent evidence has indicated that reductions in skeletal muscle strength and endurance during CHF significantly impact exercise capacity of the CHF patient. Currently, it is believed that alterations in skeletal muscle phenotype, or more specifically a slow to fast transformation in phenotypic protein isoforms contribute to...

Political Science

The Non- Governmental Organization Coalition for an International Criminal Court: A Case Study on NGO NetworkingAmy J. Bann(ABSTRACT)The aim of this project is to examine the emergence of non- governmental organization (NGO) networking by conducting a case study of the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC). It explores the role of this Coalition in the context of the growing movement towards a "global civic politics." An in- depth look at this Coalition is unveiled t...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

A descriptive case study examined the gender differences concerning computertechnology (IT) by a convenience sample (N = 180, 76%) of 11 th and 12 th graders at an elitepublic high school, recently named the "second best high school in America" (Newsweek,2000), in suburban Northern Virginia. The purpose of the study was to examine the apparentdiscrepancy in male and female differences in computer use, interests, and attitudes.<p>The research design included a student ques...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

Semantic Decomposition by CoveringShankar B. SripadhamABSTRACTThis thesis describes the implementation of a covering algorithm for semantic decomposition of sentences of technical patents. This research complements the ASPIN project that has a long term goal of providing an automated system for digital system synthesis from patents.In order to develop a prototype of the system explained in a patent, a natural language processor (sentence-interpreter) is required. These systems typically attempt ...

History

<CENTER><H2>The Media as an Image Maker/Breaker:<BR>The Case of Tina Modotti and Its Literary Representation</H2><P>Araceli Alvarez<P>(ABSTRACT)</CENTER><P>This thesis examines the role the media played in shaping Tina Modotti s public image during the 1920s in Mexico and the representation of this image in the novel <U>Tinísima</U> by Elena Poniato...

Mathematics

A Julia set for a complex function $f$ is the set of all points in thecomplex plane where the iterates of $f$ do not form a normal family.A picture of the Julia set for a function can be generated with acomputer by coloring pixels (which we consider to be small squares)based on the behavior of the point at the center of each pixel. Weconsider the accuracy of computer generated pictures of Julia sets.Such a picture is said to be accurate if each colored pixel actuallycontains some point in the Ju...

Marriage and Family Therapy

In this study, I explored marriage and family therapist interns growth experiences, both personal and professional, and the interplay between them. Participants discussed, using Internet discussion board and chat room formats, different kinds of personal experiences that influenced their clinical growth (as well as the reverse) and how these growth processes came about. Family systems theory provided the theoretical framework and Constructivism theory guided the manner in which the study was con...

Engineering Mechanics

A time-domain model-based crack diagnostic methodology using vibration data is presented. Most of the damage detection methods proposed to date are based on modal parameters and are limited by the loss of information caused by data reduction and by the implicit assumption of linearity. The use of time domain information permits the direct inclusion of the nonlinear behavior due to crack opening-closure cycles. In addition, very little information is lost, since no signal processing or parameter ...

Economics (Arts and Sciences)

This dissertation explores the importance of the payoff structure and beliefs for noncooperative games.Chapter 2 considers instances where the payoffs and the objectives may not be very clear to the players or the analyst. We develop a model for analyzing such games using a vector of reference utilities which are included in the definition of the game and assumed to be shared by all players. These are used to obtain the true utilities in the game. Conditions for the existence of equilibrium are ...

Architecture

<p>A good urban space must fulfill the promises of complexity and variety. This thesis investigates how to define an urban plaza in terms of universal elements employed to achieve that complexity. An alternating grid, a, b, a, composed of squares of five and ten feet provides an order for all the elements on the site. Each element is generated and organized from this grid. The dominant elements are thirty-foot tall concrete columns. These columns and their subsequent structural arm...

Animal and Poultry Sciences

The objective of this study is to determine if fat as an energy source, and fiber in a pasture supplement will be beneficial when compared to a concentrate high in sugar and starch. In the first experiment, 12 pregnant and lactating mares were used in three different glycemic response tests to determine the effect of feeds on pregnant mares. The mares were fed a pelleted concentrate (PC) three months before foaling; after foaling they were divided into two groups and fed a feed high in sugar and...

Materials Science and Engineering

The characteristic polarization response of a ferroelectric material to an applied electric field enables a binary state device in the form of a thin film ferroelectric capacitor that can be used to store digital information. In a high density memory the capacitor is placed on the top of a poly-silicon plug which is connected to the drain of a transistor. Such a configuration poses constraints on the processing conditions of the ferroelectric capacitor in addition to the already existing reliabi...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Considerable attention has been paid to the design of low-power, high-performance SRAMs (Static Random Access Memories) since they are a critical component in both hand-held devices and high-performance processors. A key in improving the performance of the system is to use an optimum sized SRAM.In this thesis, an SRAM compiler has been developed for the automatic layout of memory elements in the ASIC environment. The compiler generates an SRAM layout based on a given SRAM size, input by the user...

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise

THE EFFECTS OF INTERVAL TRAINING AND MODEST CALORIE RESTRICION IN THE TREATMENT OF OBESITYbyMichelle Marie StockunasABSTRACTModerate intensity exercise (MIT) was compared to high intensity interval exercise (HIIT) as part of a nine week treatment strategy for 13 obese men. Both groups exercised three days per week beginning at 45% VO2max. The MIT protocol progressed to 65% VO2max by week eight. The HIIT protocol consisting of 16 short (30 s), 8 medium (90 s), and 4 long (180 s) intervals progres...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The wireless market of the future will demand inexpensive hardware, expandability, interoperability, and the implementation of advanced signal processing functions-i.e. a software radio. Configurable computing machines are often ideal software radio platforms. In particular, the Stallion reconfigurable processors efficient hardware reuse and scalability fulfill these radios demands. The advantages of Stallion-based design inspired an FPGA-based software radiothe proto-Stallion receiver. This the...

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Shorter product life-cycles, unpredictable demand, and customizedproducts have forced manufacturing firms to operate more efficientlyand effectively in order to adapt to changingrequirements. Traditional manufacturing systems, such as job shops andflow lines, cannot handle such environments. Cellular manufacturing,which incorporates the flexibility of job shops and the highproduction rate of flow lines, has been seen as a promisingalternative for such cases. Although cellular manufacturing provi...

Economics (Arts and Sciences)

Selling state-owned enterprises to the private sector has become a popular policy for governments all around the world.Chapter 1 provides an historical perspective on privatization, and it describes the objectives and the privatization techniques that have been adopted by many governments since the late 70s. The chapter then focuses on two important issues in the privatization debate, the underpricing of shares and the effect of ownership on performance. It reviews the most significant theoretic...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The configurable computing research community has provided a wealth of evidence that computational platforms based on FPGA technology are capable of cost-effectively accelerating certain kinds of computations. One actively growing area in the research community examines the benefits to computation that can be gained by reconfiguring the FPGAs in a system during the execution of an application. This technique is commonly referred to as run-time reconfiguration. Widespread acceptance of run-time r...

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Since the introduction of graphical user interfaces (GUI), input control devices have become an integral part of desktop computing. When interfacing with GUIs, these input control devices have become the humans primary means of communicating with the computer. Although there have been a number of experiments conducted on pointing devices for desktop machine, there is little research on pointing devices for wearable computer technology. This is surprising because pointing devices are a major comp...

Marketing

Many purchase decisions involve groups of individuals. In marketing literature, a majority of the studies related to group decisions place greater emphasis on predicting the outcome of the decision than the process. In this dissertation, I contend that understanding the process by which a purchase decision is reached is important because it may influence the joint choice and the satisfaction of a group member with the decision. I study two key elements of the decision making process namely, revi...

Architecture

In doing research for the documentation of theHuntley Meadows Plantation for public record at the Library of Congress and asseSsing a possible use for this site for the Friends Of Huntley ,I saw a humble little piece of virginian history decaying and being swept away by sprawlingdevelopment. SUFFICIENT RESEARCH OF HISTORICAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE IS IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT HAS CULTURAL OR ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE.This thesis does not provide a solution to this problem of preserving a...

Mechanical Engineering

In this work several decomposition strategies for the synthesis / design optimization of highly coupled, highly dynamic energy systems are formally presented and their implementation illustrated. The methods are based on the autonomous optimization of the individual units (components, sub-systems or disciplines), while maintaining energy and cost links between all units, which make up the overall system. All of the approaches are designed to enhance current engineering synthesis / design practic...

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Psychophysics is defined as the scientific study of the relationship between stimuli and sensation. It has been used extensively over the last three decades for evaluation and design of manual materials handling tasks in many industries. Despite this, much is still not known about how subjective ratings, the core of the psychophysical methodology, relate to physical (biomechanical) loads. A fundamental assumption of this method is that humans are capable of estimating biomechanical and physiolog...

Physics

<!-- image base is http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09012000-14080013/ --><p>The decays<img width=119 height=32 align=center src=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09012000-14080013/unrestricted/image006.gif>and<img width=119 height=29 align=center src=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09012000-14080013/unrestricted/image008.gif>are studied using data collected at the CLEO II detector at the Cornell El...

Materials Science and Engineering

This work describes the development of an improved mode I fracture testing procedure for adhesively-bonded wood, and demonstrates the sensitivity of this approach. The two significant improvements were: 1) the use of the flat double cantilever beam (DCB) geometry, which has been uncommon for wood and 2) the application of an established and powerful data analysis using a corrected compliance method from beam theory. Three studies were conducted using various wood adhesives and DCB specimens were...

Engineering Mechanics

The integrity of nearly all engineering structures are threatened by the presence of cracks. Structural failure occurs if a crack larger than a critical size exists. Although most well designed structures initially contain no critical cracks, subcritical cracks can grow to failure under fatigue loading, called fatigue crack growth (FCG). Because it is impossible or impractical to prevent subcritical crack growth in most applications, a damage tolerant design philosophy was developed for crack se...

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise

Mechanical Response Tissue Analysis (MRTA) is an emerging technology for assessing maximal bending stiffness (EI) of human long bones in vivo. The MRTA variable, EI, is the product of Youngs modulus of elasticity (E) and cross-sectional moment of inertia (I). EI quantifies material and architectural/geometric properties of bone. Published human research using MRTA to measure EI has been limited to the ulna; however, the tibia requires further investigation due to its central involvement in many ...

Forestry

The effects of seven silvicultural prescriptions were examined one full growing season post-treatment on five sites in the Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and Allegheny Plateau of Virginia and West Virginia. Prescriptions were (1) control, (2) understory control with herbicide, (3) group selection, (4) high-leave shelterwood, (5) low-leave shelterwood, (6) leave tree, and (7) clearcut. The effects of each treatment on the vascular plant community were characterized by changes in species di...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

In this modern age of information, the demands on data transmission networks for greater capacity, and mobile accessibility are increasing drastically. The increasing demand for mobile access is evidenced by the proliferation of wireless systems such as mobile phone networks and wireless local area networks (WLANs). The frequency range over which an oxygen resonance occurs in the atmosphere (~58-62 GHz) has received recent attention as a possible candidate for secure high-speed wireless data net...

Food Science and Technology

Raw oyster shellstock was subjected to abuseconditions (7, 13, and 21

Biology

Constraints on the Evolution of Viviparity in the Lizard Genus Sceloporus<p>Tom Mathies<p>(ABSTRACT)<p>I evaluated possible constraints on the evolution of viviparity in the lizard genus Sceloporus by experimentally extending the length of egg retention past the normal time of oviposition for a number of oviparous species. Observations also included a representative of the genus Urosaurus, the sister genus to Sceloporus. I determined the effects of reten...

Geological Sciences

The organoarsenical roxarsone is added to poultry feed to increase weight gain. Studies have shown that roxarsone does not accumulate in poultry tissue but is excreted, resulting in elevated arsenic concentrations (~40 mg/kg) in poultry litter. However, there is little understanding of the fate of roxarsone once it is introduced into agricultural watersheds.Using batch experiments, I investigated the sorption characteristics of roxarsone to Ap and Bt soils of the Frederick series, common in the ...

ECPE

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Biology

Despite a number of recent studies focused on the issue, patterns of stream insect dispersal in temperate streams of North America remain poorly understood. Movement of benthic invertebrates is notoriously difficult to measure directly using traditional means; however, genetic markers provide an ideal method for estimating stream insect dispersal. In this study, the control region of mitochondrial DNA was used to study gene flow and dispersal among populations of the stonefly <i>Pe...

Civil Engineering

Passive site remediation is a new concept proposed for non-disruptive mitigation of liquefaction risk at developed sites susceptible to liquefaction. It is based on the concept of slow injection of stabilizing materials at the edge of a site and delivery of the stabilizer to the target location using the natural groundwater flow. The purpose of this research was to establish the feasibility of passive site remediation through identification of stabilizing materials, a study of how to design or a...