Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2006. / System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Accompanied by 4 recitals, recorded Apr. 10, 1997, July 17, 1997, Mar, 3, 1998, and Nov. 14, 2005. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-41).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-141).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1985. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-98). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (M.M.)--Boston University

While inelastic mechanical behaviour of crystalline materials is well-understood in terms of lattice defects, bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) pose significant challenges in this respect due to their disordered structure. They can be produced by rapid cooling from the liquid state (among other technique) and, thus can be frozen as vitreous solids. Due to the absence of a long-range order in atomic structure and a lack of defects such as dislocations, BMGs generally show unique mechanical properties such as high strength and elastic limit, as well as good fracture toughness and corrosion resistance. Typically, inorganic glasses are brittle at room temperature, showing a smooth fracture surface as a results of mode-I brittle fracture. At small scale, it was well documented that inelastic deformation of bulk metallic glasses is localised in thin shear bands. So, in order to understand deformation mechanisms of BMGs comprehensively, it is necessary to investigate formation of shear bands and related deformation process. In this thesis, a history of development of BMGs is presented, followed by a review of fundamental mechanisms of their deformation.

The study presented aims to provide the most viable seismic retrofit solution for rural masonry. Muzffarabad is one such region where excess of unreinforced masonry structures claimed thousands of lives during 2005 earthquake. Field study was conducted in the region to familiarize with the dynamics of local construction industry before suggesting a suitable retrofit solution. Polypropylene (PP-) band retrofit has been selected as the most viable solution for retrofitting existing masonry structures in terms of cost, material availability and ease of application. To prove the efficiency of PP-band retrofit, numerical simulations and laboratory tests were conducted to assess the seismic efficiency of PP-band retrofit. Material tests were conducted in accordance with BS-EN to familiarize with the mechanical properties of locally available materials in Kashmir region and to provide material data for numerical analysis. Tests revealed lower strength and elasticity for bricks in comparison to materials found in developed countries, due to the unregulated and non-standardized manufacturing of masonry units and high water content in mortars. Shake table tests were conducted to test the effectiveness of PP-band retrofit masonry under dynamic vibrations. Results show that PP-band retrofit can enhance the post peak performance by at least 7 times in comparison to non-retrofit specimen. Real-scale structure retrofit with PP-band survived accelerations of up to 2g without any life-threatening damage, thus, proving to be an economic and efficient strengthening solution for rural communities. Following the shortcomings observed in Room-1, connection detail for PP-bands in Room-2 was revised to achieve a 100% performance enhancement. Numerical models were developed to predict cracks in masonry and analyse diagonal compression test models, in accordance with ASTM standards. The results showed 30% higher residual strength after cracking for PP- band retrofit masonry and the wall integrity was maintained for higher deformations.

This study is a phenomenological study about band. Stories of band are told through three people of different ages and generations who chose to continue playing an instrument after graduating from high school. A review of the literature and a lack of research from the perspective of the individual led this study to two broad research questions. First, is there such a thing as a “band identity?” I wanted to know how band shaped the lives of three individuals who have spent their lives playing, experiencing, and performing band music. I wanted to discover if there was some sort of essence to band and to understand more about how the concept of self is shaped through participation in band. Second, I wanted to be open to the idea that the telling of stories of band might intersect with my own. The final chapter of the study reflects on my journey as a teacher. On the surface, band may look like any other group activity. But the powerful combination of mastering an instrument, learning how one’s instrument fits into a larger ensemble, and navigating the social and family-like drama as one’s life story unfolds makes the band experience unique. The three study participants were interviewed over nine months using a theoretical “mix tape” approach blending phenomenological inquiry with elements of case study, narrative, short written responses, reflections, and the collecting of artifacts. The participants showed that the band experience is inextricably woven into the identity of individuals who continue to devote time and energy to instrumental music. The band identity is wrapped around and melded with concepts of the power of the group dynamic, the magic and memories formed from devoting time to the activity of music making, the power of music on memory, and the relationships that are built through the activity. This thesis shows that band directors should pay much closer attention to and nurture the value of the individual by listening to the individual soundtracks of their students and working to understand the stories and life experiences that the individual brings to the traditional large ensemble band setting.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of hyperspectral reflectance signals for the discrimination of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) from other subtly different vegetation species. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves are used to determine which spectral bands should be considered as candidate features. Multivariate statistical analysis is then applied to the candidate features to determine the optimum subset of spectral bands. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is used to compute the optimum linear combination of the selected subset to be used as a feature for classification. Similarly, for comparison purposes, ROC analysis, multivariate statistical analysis, and LDA are utilized to determine the most advantageous discrete wavelet coefficients for classification. The overall system was applied to hyperspectral signatures collected with a handheld spectroradiometer (ASD) and to simulated satellite signatures (Hyperion). A leave-one-out testing of a nearest mean classifier for the ASD data shows that cogongrass can be detected amongst various other grasses with an accuracy as high as 87.86% using just the pure spectral bands and with an accuracy of 92.77% using the Haar wavelet decomposition coefficients. Similarly, the Hyperion signatures resulted in classification accuracies of 92.20% using just the pure spectral bands and with an accuracy of 96.82% using the Haar wavelet decomposition coefficients. These results show that hyperspectral reflectance signals can be used to reliably detect cogongrass from subtly different vegetation.

No description available.