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Are the Needs of North Dakota's Aging Population with Developmental Disabilities Being Overlooked?

Description: North Dakota is faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of its growing population of elderly persons aging with a developmental disability. The challenge of creating new service models presents itself to professionals in the fields of Aging and Developmental Disabilities. Traditionally, the aging person with a developmental disability has been sent to nursing homes or grouped into community programs with younger persons with developmental disability. North Dakota is looking toward the future of caring for this special population through integration with elderly without disabilities.
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Date: May 2002
Creator: Clark, Amy Klein
Partner: UNT Libraries

Theoretical Study of Second Harmonic Generation of a Blue Laser at 486 nm Using a BBO Crystal in a Standing Wave Buildup Cavity

Description: For a spectroscopy purpose, we are interested in producing continuous wave (CW) UV laser light at 243 nm with at least 2 mW power. The theory of nonlinear optics suggests that we should be able to produce a desired 2.9 mW of 243 nm light by second harmonic generation (SHG) from a 50 mW blue laser at 486 nm using a BBO crystal in a build up cavity. The most important physical parameters are calculated. A 10 mm Brewster cut BBO crystal can provide phase matching conditions for coupling two ordinary photons at 486 nm and make a secondary beam at 243 nm. The single pass conversion efficiency is calculated not to be enough to generate 2.9 mW of SH light. My investigation shows that a standing wave build up cavity can provide a buildup factor of 94 and an overall conversion efficiency of 5.9% if one use an input coupler mirror with 1.1% transmission at 486 nm.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Khademian, Ali
Partner: UNT Libraries

Distant Proximity: Mapping Presence and Absence

Description: Chapter I presents my background as an artist born and raised in Romania, and describes my artwork in connection with my interests and experiences. Maps and traditional Romanian art are important sources of influence. The questions in the statement of problem deal with the way ideas, references to various elements, and installation impact the artwork. Chapter II discusses the installation at the Dallas Visual Art Center, the creative process, and how the artwork addressed the questions in the statement of problem. Important points are: a step into three-dimensionality with the tall, freestanding pieces painted on both sides, the use of topographical contours in creating shapes, issues of form and content as expressed in the painted surfaces, and the interaction of the individual works in the installation.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Mitroi, Tudor
Partner: UNT Libraries

A study of stock price reactions to the decisions of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on changes in the federal funds rate.

Description: This paper analyzes stock index reactions to interest rate actions by the FOMC. Unlike previous analyses this study utilizes macro-economic indicators and accounts for pre-decision market expectations. Results indicate significant reaction of the stock market to the actions of the FOMC regardless of interest rate actions matching pre-decision market expectations. Binary dummy variables representing the five days following an FOMC meeting indicate a significant reaction for days one; two and three of the Dow Jones model and for day five of the NASDAQ model. The magnitude of the coefficients are 0.17%, 0.09%, -0.07% and -.15% respectively. These findings may be sensitive to a priori choices regarding the definition of the market expectation variable.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Bushnell, Wesley
Partner: UNT Libraries

Surfacing the Void

Description: Surfacing the Void is an exploration of surface design in relationship to the topic of voids. For the purpose of this paper, two types of void were addressed: shelters and hulls. The theme behind the sculptural works dealt with negative spaces as an analogy for the voids in people's lives. The goal was to find a way for the surfaces to elicit an emotional response from the viewer that correlates to the impression of either shelter or hull. Keeping this in mind, each experiment was approached with how to best represent the meaning of void being manifested. Imagery was applied during different states of the clay: wet, dry, and fired. Methods of exploration included texturing, drawing, stenciling, stamping, incising, decoupage and covering the surfaces with textiles.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Williamson, Melanie L.
Partner: UNT Libraries

Viewers' Choice

Description: This paper documents the execution and exhibition of a group of oil paintings exploring themes of spectacle and the construction of reality in contemporary American society. The paintings are composed of figures and fragments of text originating in stills taken from television news and reality TV. This paper describes and assesses the paintings according to a set of questions developed by the artist at the inception of the project. Various strategies employed in the execution of the work are analyzed and compared. The contribution of this project to the field of contemporary visual art is evaluated via comparison with other art, past and present, expressing similar concerns.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Brownlee, Tracie
Partner: UNT Libraries

Implementation of Scalable Secure Multicasting

Description: A large number of applications like multi-player games, video conferencing, chat groups and network management are presently based on multicast communication. As the group communication model is being deployed for mainstream use, it is critical to provide security mechanisms that facilitate confidentiality, authenticity and integrity in group communications. Providing security in multicast communication requires addressing the problem of scalability in group key distribution. Scalability is a concern in group communication due to group membership dynamics. Joining and leaving of members requires the distribution of a new session key to all the existing members of the group. The two approaches to key management namely centralized and distributed approaches are reviewed. A hybrid solution is then provided, which represents a improved scalable and robust approach for a secure multicast framework. This framework then is implemented in an example application of a multicast news service.
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Date: August 2002
Creator: Vellanki, Ramakrishnaprasad
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Fabrication of MOS capacitor and transitor structure using contact photolithography.

Description: This problem in lieu of thesis report describes a practical photolithographic method to produce micro patterns on metal-oxide-semiconductor or metal-oxide-semiconductor-metal layers for electrical measurements. The desired patterns are then transferred from the photo mask to the photoresist-coated metal film by exposure, followed by wet etching. In the procedure described in this report, it was observed that microstructures as small as 27 mm with an edge roughness of ~ 2 mm can be reproducibly generated with this process. MOS capacitors and transistors structures can be fabricated by using this technique. The method described in this report requires access to only simple facilities so that it is relatively inexpensive, and the overall time required for the whole process is short.
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Date: August 2002
Creator: Su, Danni
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Sequence without Uniformity

Description: The inspiration for my undergraduate body of work is derived from my fascination with Henri Matisse, Jacob Lawrence, and the Impressionists. I suddenly became captivated with the Impressionist movement and the independence of abstraction. I set into motion a series of paintings and drawings featuring random African-Americans and African society representatives in vibrant color and abstracting forms, and was specifically concerned with altering the form outside of the realistic area. While in graduate school, I began to think about how the transformation from realism to abstraction combined with the conception of mortal to the immortal. I worked through ideas to see exactly where these views began, and where they would take me as an artist. Almost immediately I experimented with random figures found specifically in the N'debele culture in South Africa. In addition, I incorporated abstraction and expressive marks within the figure and slowly introduced cut paper, flat imagery and abstraction with the realistic figure. This became very challenging but I was determined to unite these ideas successfully. More recently, my work has concentrated on the essential elements that have influenced my work as an artist, which recedes to childhood. The main elements most prevalent within the work is rhythm and space. I learned to use the musical rhythm as an instinctive reference point, as well as exploring issues of space and solid areas of flat color, thus I strived to unite all areas together to create an integrated composition.
Date: August 2002
Creator: Woodford, Nicole Yvonne
Partner: UNT Libraries

Developing a Test Bed for Interactive Narrative in Virtual Environments

Description: As Virtual Environments (VE) become a more commonly used method of interaction and presentation, supporting users as they navigate and interact with scenarios presented in VE will be a significant issue. A key step in understanding the needs of users in these situations will be observing them perform representative tasks in a fully developed environment. In this paper, we describe the development of a test bed for interactive narrative in a virtual environment. The test bed was specifically developed to present multiple, simultaneous sequences of events (scenarios or narratives) and to support user navigation through these scenarios. These capabilities will support the development of multiple users testing scenarios, allowing us to study and better understand the needs of users of narrative VEs.
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Date: August 2002
Creator: Mellacheruvu, Krishna
Partner: UNT Libraries

Social Intercourse

Description: This thesis explains the stories and concepts behind each piece that was discussed on the opening night of my MFA Exhibition. The works, entitled Film Noir, Brains, Trains, and Beer, The Boy Next Door, Peterbuilt, and 10-50, H-1, was discussed more specifically and in greater detail. Speaking in public has always been a difficult task, especially on the subject of my art. My images deal with the highly intense subject matter of violence inflicted onto others as a result of human social behaviors. These vile social behaviors are translated into colorful and humorous lithographs, etchings, and drawings. These images are displayed to the public for individual interpretation. This thesis discusses audience interpretation before the literal meaning is revealed, how much information should be revealed to the viewer, and how this information manipulates the aesthetics of the piece.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Greco, Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries

Replacing the Horse

Description: I have been working with horses as imagery for about seven years and my problem in lieu of thesis continued along this vein by researching the roles of the horse in history, specifically mobility, and developing work that creates visual links between the past and present roles of horses. I am a printmaker and the work involved in the project consists of prints that use layers of related images and juxtaposition of unrelated images to accomplish my goals of cohesion between horses and the machinery that has replaced them. As the project developed the links between past and present society became my impetus rather the horse and mobility, and my future work will respond to this.
Date: May 2002
Creator: Ebert, Matthew J.
Partner: UNT Libraries

Imitating Nature

Description: Through my art I seek to communicate the continuing cycle of change that unites all life forms. I had to find methods of presentation and surface that would enhance my sculptural statements that I had begun to address. Utilizing salt, wood and low temperature sagger firing, resulted in softer, more natural appearing surfaces. These surfaces complimented and completed the organic forms with which I was working. The problems encountered in presentation were rectified by alternately contrasting the surfaces of the presentation with the surfaces of the pieces, while utilizing forms that echoed the natural forms of the pieces. The opposite approach also worked well, using natural presentation materials to create a sense of unity, and geometric bases for contrast. These methods resulted in an increased sense of energy, unity and completion in the work presented.
Date: December 2002
Creator: Holden, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries

Preconceived Notions of Scale Relationships

Description: I proposed in my paper to use juxtaposition of unexpected scale in my sculpture, with the expectation that it would create an unexpected tension that is visually stimulating to the viewer. I achieved this by creating disharmony in scale between an object that is perceived as miniature and an object that is perceived as gigantic within each sculpture. I then asked three questions of these sculptures: Was I able to alter the viewer's preconceived notions of the miniature and the gigantic through the manipulation of the size relationship between two objects within each sculpture? Which of these preconceived notions of the miniature or the gigantic became dominant as the main focal point in each sculpture? Did this intentional use of disharmony in scale stimulate enough of my interest to continue investigating this idea? I wrote about three sculptures that had been made for this project. The first was Manifest Destiny, a seven and a half foot tall bronze piece depicting an oil drill with a platform in the shape of the state of Texas. On the platform a gigantic bronze figure rides a miniature bronze donkey across the platform. The second bronze sculpture I wrote about was Gulliver in Suburbia; standing seven and a half feet it depicts a large bronze figure trapped within a miniature ship that stands on stilts. The last piece a wrote about was I've Outgrown This One House Town, a seven foot three inch tall bronze sculpture which depicts the frame of a house with a frame chair and bed inside. On top of the house a bronze figure sits on the roof as if it were riding a horse. I judged all three pieces to be successful and they answered all of the questions affirmatively.
Date: December 2002
Creator: McClung, Jeffrey Bruce
Partner: UNT Libraries

Abstract Moments of Art Found in the Ordinary

Description: This paper is an experiment using digital video to locate and identify the abstract in everyday life and nature. The abstract moment occurs when the image that is captured by video loses its connection with the original context, allowing the images to be viewed in an entirely new way. The abstract moment is initiated by a transformative instant, that instant in which perception is altered and the viewer sees the intended content of composition of light and sound. The project contains four digital videos that record the artist's progress and interests.
Date: December 2002
Creator: Kraft, Stuart
Partner: UNT Libraries

Brownian Movement and Quantum Computers

Description: This problem in lieu of thesis is a discussion of two topics: Brownian movement and quantum computers. Brownian movement is a physical phenomenon in which the particle velocity is constantly undergoing random fluctuations. Chapters 2, 3 and 4, describe Brownian motion from three different perspectives. The next four chapters are devoted to the subject of quantum computers, which are the signal of a new era of technology and science combined together. In the first chapter I present to a reader the two topics of my problem in lieu of thesis. In the second chapter I explain the idea of Brownian motion, its interpretation as a stochastic process and I find its distribution function. The next chapter illustrates the probabilistic picture of Brownian motion, where the statistical averages over trajectories are related to the probability distribution function. Chapter 4 shows how to derive the Langevin equation, introduced in chapter 1, using a Hamiltonian picture of a bath with infinite number of harmonic oscillators. The chapter 5 explains how the idea of quantum computers was developed and how step-by-step all the puzzles for the field of quantum computers were created. The next chapter, chapter 6, discus the basic quantum unit of information namely, the so called qubit and its properties. Chapter 7 is devoted to quantum logic gates, which are important for conducting logic operation in quantum computers. This chapter explains how they were developed and how they are different from classical ones. Chapter 8 is about the quantum algorithm, Shor's algorithm. Quantum algorithm in quantum computers enables one to solve problems that are hard to solve on digital computers. The last chapter contains conclusions on Brownian movement and the field of quantum computers.
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Date: December 2004
Creator: Habel, Agnieszka
Partner: UNT Libraries

Transplants

Description: The body of work originating from this Problem in Lieu of Thesis consists of paintings on canvas that incorporate representations of plant material. The impetus for the paintings was black and white photocopies created from mounds of plant material placed on a copy machine. The resulting copies contained forms that were organic in appearance, but unrecognizable as known objects. Parts of the most interesting and ambiguous copies were used to develop the imagery of the paintings. The new forms served the purpose of creating visual interest from unexpected images. Combined with traditional painting techniques, the selected forms produced paintings of mysterious and playful worlds similar to those parts of the environment not readily accessed, such as galactic space, microscopic organisms, and ocean depths.
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Date: December 2004
Creator: Holden, Susan Morrow
Partner: UNT Libraries

Beads on a String: Extended Portraits

Description: When I was first introduced to photography, I was mainly drawn to landscape imagery. I enjoyed being a solitary spectator. Over time, inclusions of figurative elements became more and more apparent in my work. I purposefully began to incorporate a figure into my landscapes, ascribing to it a certain nostalgia and a sense of isolation I was experiencing on many levels at that time. Before long, I felt disconnected from these images because of their ambiguity and generalization. I found myself craving more content and personal commitment in my photography. At the end 2003, I started experimenting with a 4" x 5" format camera, which forced me, to some extent, to change my way of photographing and seeing. That is how the beginning of this new body of work was born. I was accustomed to shooting with a 35 mm camera, which allowed me to be spontaneous, quick and immediate. I permanently switched to a large format. I could see myself benefiting from this change. I lost some of the spontaneity that a 35 mm format offers but I gained the beauty of working with larger negatives and the endless possibilities of view camera movements. Thanks to this technical transformation, I began to develop new ideas. I tried to focus on what truly mattered to me, initially stripped from any necessary relationships among the images. I photographed pieces of time and space, filled with an emotional and psychological charge. More figurative elements kept reappearing and soon dominated my subject matter completely. My motives became utterly wrapped around human values and the differences that distinguish each of us from one another.
Date: December 2004
Creator: Kolčavová, Gabriela
Partner: UNT Libraries

Peptide-based hidden Markov model for peptide fingerprint mapping.

Description: Peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) was the first automated method for protein identification in proteomics, and it remains in common usage today because of its simplicity and the low equipment costs for generating fingerprints. However, one of the problems with PMF is its limited specificity and sensitivity in protein identification. Here I present a method that shows potential to significantly enhance the accuracy of peptide mass fingerprinting, using a machine learning approach based on a hidden Markov model (HMM). This method is applied to improve differentiation of real protein matches from those that occur by chance. The system was trained using 300 examples of combined real and false-positive protein identification results, and 10-fold cross-validation applied to assess model discrimination. The model can achieve 93% accuracy in distinguishing correct and real protein identification results versus false-positive matches. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area for the best model was 0.833.
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Date: December 2004
Creator: Yang, Dongmei
Partner: UNT Libraries

Voting Operating System (VOS)

Description: The electronic voting machine (EVM) plays a very important role in a country where government officials are elected into office. Throughout the world, a specific operating system that tends to the specific requirement of the EVM does not exist. Existing EVM technology depends upon the various operating systems currently available, thus ignoring the basic needs of the system. There is a compromise over the basic requirements in order to develop the systems on the basis on an already available operating system, thus having a lot of scope for error. It is necessary to know the specific details of the particular device for which the operating system is being developed. In this document, I evaluate existing EVMs and identify flaws and shortcomings. I propose a solution for a new operating system that meets the specific requirements of the EVM, calling it Voting Operating System (VOS, pronounced 'voice'). The identification technique can be simplified by using the fingerprint technology that determines the identity of a person based on two fingerprints. I also discuss the various parts of the operating system that have to be implemented that can tend to all the basic requirements of an EVM, including implementation of the memory manager, process manager and file system of the proposed operating system.
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Date: December 2004
Creator: Venkatadusumelli, Kiran
Partner: UNT Libraries

Microwave Cavity Test for Superconductivity

Description: The first part of this paper describes the Meissner effect in superconductors which serves as the most definitive evidence for superconductivity. It is shown that the microwave perturbation technique may be used to demonstrate this effect. By measuring the changes of resonant frequency and inverse quality factor Q of a microwave cavity with a small volume of sample loading, the Meissner effect can be shown by using the Slater perturbation equation. The experimental system is described with details and the basic principle of each component discussed. The second part of this work describes the technique employed to do the actual measurements. The experiments were conducted on samples of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) to look for the possible high temperature superconductivity properties. Results of these experiments are presented and discussed. Conclusion and suggestions to future exploration are made.
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Date: December 2001
Creator: Tang, Shan
Partner: UNT Libraries

Signs and Cases

Description: Abstract not available
Date: December 2001
Creator: Whitmire, James
Partner: UNT Libraries

Techniques Utilized in the Characterization of Existing Materials for Improved Material Development

Description: It has become increasingly important to remain on the cutting edge of technology for a company to remain competitive and survive in today's high-tech industries. To do this, a company needs various resources dedicated to this cause. One of these resources is the use of existing materials, as starting points, for which improved materials can be based. For this, a company must rely on the characterization of existing materials to bring that base technology into their company. Through this evaluation, the base materials properties can be obtained and a material with improved properties can be developed. There are many techniques that can be used in characterizing an existing material, but not every technique is required to obtain the desired goal. The techniques utilized depend upon the depth of identification required. This report summarizes several techniques utilized in the characterization of existing materials and provides some examples of evaluated products.
Date: December 2001
Creator: Withaeger, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries