Wi-Fi has become a ubiquitous wireless technology in a relatively short period of time. Each of us has a wireless gadget competing for the Wi-Fi bandwidth and thus has to compromise on the data speeds in order to share the limited Wi-Fi spectrum. Contrary to this Wi-Fi crowding phenomenon which is yet to worsen with the ongoing explosive growth of wireless devices, studies show that 90% of the time, spectrum designated to legacy technologies like the television (TV) spectrum was found to be unoccupied and not every channel was in use always. Cognitive Radio (CR) Technology is the riposte to this dichotomy. A CR is an intelligent device which scans the radio spectrum for free channels and uses them to its own advantage. However, in order to access the vacant spectrum and reap the benefits, the CRs need to coordinate among themselves using cooperative spectrum sensing schemes. This thesis work studies and analyzes the energy efficiency of two such generic cooperative sensing schemes - Distributed and Centralized, in an ad hoc WLAN backdrop. Furthermore, the corresponding enhanced and adaptive versions of these two schemes are proposed, where only a fraction of the nodes scan as opposed to all nodes in the network. Using an analytical energy model for sensing, the energy costs of the proposed cooperative sensing schemes are quantified. A comparative numerical analysis is further performed to demonstrate the amount of energy savings of the proposed schemes over their generic counterparts and non-cooperative schemes. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

William Blake sought, though his poetry and printmaking, to change the fundamental nature of reality and to set humanity on a redemptive course. Inspired in his studio, the artist channeled what he called "Divine Vision" into his complicated poetry and visual designs—what is commonly referred to as his unique "composite" art. The cosmic transformations that Blake sought to bring about through the dissemination of his art, however, began in the material processes of his studio, in the performance of the novel "relief etching" method of printmaking he invented. This paper examines two tropes Blake used extensively in his art, what I call "framing" and "inversions," and traces their origins in his works' production. I consider framing as it is displayed in the short lyric "The Tyger," which is about physical and conceptual acts of framing at the same time that it uses frames in its structure and poetics. To define and describe Blake's inversions, this paper focuses on Blake's epic poem Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion, in which inversions infuse the language and visual designs even as they govern the poem's narrative order. A concluding section demonstrates the two tropes' intersection in a series of framings and inversions performed by the artist in his studio where, working the wheels of his press, Blake animates not only his illuminated books but, in his mind, alternative orders of reality. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of English.

Two siliciclastic-filled paleocaverns within the Mississippian (Osagean) Burlington- Keokuk Limestone, which were formed in pre-Desmoinesian (Middle Pennsylvanian) time, are described from exposures in Dade County, Missouri. Petrographic and sedimentological analyses suggest that these cave-fills were derived from terrestrial sources. The age of the cave-fills were determined to be Late Atokan (Lower Pennsylvanian) based on their spore and pollen assemblage. One of the caves examined is filled primarily with coarse to fine-grained sand. Sedimentary structures include plane-beds, cross-stratification, scours, flaser bedding, softsediment deformed layers, flame structures, and normal-graded bedding. Cave-roof collapse and associated boudinage, as well as slack water shales, separate thick sandstone layers. This paleocavern has been interpreted to have been filled by fluviokarst processes with sediment entering primarily through sinking streams. The cave-fill in the other paleocave examined is primarily mudrock, shale, and sandy siltstone with some roof-collapse breccia. These rocks contain abundant organic matter, including wood fragments and charcoal, as well as abundant pyrite and secondary sulfate minerals. This paleocave has been interpreted to have been filled by soil and residuum entering through sinkhole collapses beneath marshes or swamps and by some in-flowing, low-energy water currents. The recharge points of a cave can be inferred by the type of sediments that it is filled with and recharge points dictate cave geometry. These recharge points can be seen on subsurface maps and an area of possible paleocaves can be drawn between these points. Sandstone cave-fill and fractured limestone host-rock around shale-filled caves are potential hydrocarbon reservoirs in the subsurface of Kansas and northern Oklahoma. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Geology .

In this thesis, the advantages of a power-control-based relay system for a code division multiple access (CDMA) network are explored. Relay nodes are placed in the form of a ring (not necessarily circular) based on system requirements, whereby a mobile user and base station can communicate directly or through relay nodes, depending on the received signal strength. Power control through the relays will provide an added advantage to the mobile stations, because they will use less power to transmit in reverse link. An optimal route is determined using the fundamental concept of the CDMA network, which is encouraging for implementing this system in practical circumstances. Through the proper allocation of relay nodes, coverage of the overall area (cell) can be extended. Area extension results for using relay nodes in the cell area are proven analytically. Finally, this thesis shows that power-controlled relaying in a CDMA network will increase the number of active users per given cell at a given time. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

There is growing interest in whether invasive species may be controlled by targeting key life stages or by tailoring different management strategies to the specific characteristics of particular life stages. In this study, I test whether fire targeted at seed or seedling stages of sericea can increase mortality and potentially limit the spread of this invader. Two field experiments were performed manipulating the timing of fire and a laboratory experiment was conducted that quantified germination rates. The field experiments revealed that seedling survivorship varied with timing of burns and plant age, but these variables only accounted for a small amount of the variability in survivorship (R2 = 0.09, P = 0.032), suggesting that sericea seedlings quickly reach a size from which they can resprout. At the seed stage, fire greatly enhanced cumulative germination in the field burns. In contrast, the lab experiment showed that fire inflicted extremely high mortality on sericea seeds, suggesting that, in the field, seeds gain protection from fire as they mix with soil and that fire may increase germination due to enhanced resource availability. Taken together, my results illustrate that, although targeting vulnerable life stages is a sound strategy for invasive species control, careful preliminary studies may be needed to unravel complex interactions between biotic and abiotic variables before effective solutions can be devised. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences.

The National Museum of American Indians Act of 1989 (NMAI) and the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) are two viable pieces of legislation that give tribal communities an opportunity to reclaim objects of ancestral heritage. However, the repatriation process uses academic and governmental mandates that support the colonialist perspective. The case study of the Logan Museum of Anthropology is one particular example of the conflicts and misconceptions about repatriation. This case study specifically focuses on the Potawatomi Nation and their interaction with present day NAGPRA legislation. The case study of the Logan Museum of Anthropology raises questions about ownership and the types of evidence used to support a repatriation claim. The role of academia in the context of the NMAI Act and NAGPRA is focused through a variety of disciplinary fields such as anthropology, history, and art history. With the current amendment to NAGPRA, “the CUHR ruling,” the process of repatriation is further convoluted. However, tribal nations are exploring methods of repatriation that entail collaborating with other tribal communities for a common goal. However, because these two pieces of legislation are unclear and lead to personal interpretation, the federal legislation must continue to amend and / or create new legislation to adjust the current mandates. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Program of Liberal Studies

In this thesis, an analytical discussion of the three publicly available Inter-autonomous system Multiprotocol Label Switching Layer-3 Virtual Private Network (Inter-AS MPLS L3 VPN) implementations, namely, Back-to-Back Virtual Route Forwarding, Single-Hop MP-BGP with static routes, and Multi-hop External Multiprotocol Border Gateway Protocol (MP-EBGP) between Autonomous System(AS)’s route reflectors. An analytical model is developed to evaluate the round-trip delay of a packet with respect to these three implementations. These implementations are used to provide MPLS L3 VPN between Internet Service Providers (ISP) or between different backbone networks within an enterprise. A testbed consisting of Cisco routers and switches is used to evaluate the three implementations in terms of impact of the design of these three implementation implementations on the round-trip delay. Priority queue is used on all routers in the testbed and the background traffic is assigned with the best-effort service. Priority traffic is marked CE routers. The testbed analysis shows that Single-Hop MP-BGP with static routes is the best among the three implementations with the least round-trip delay. Back-to-back virtual route forwarding exhibits the maximum delay. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The resin flow during composite processing affects the mechanical properties and the final dimensions of the part. This study investigates resin flow velocity in autoclave processing. To measure the resin flow velocity during cure, a flow apparatus was designed and manufactured with the ability to follow the autoclave curing cycle. Resin flow tests were conducted on IM7/977-2 unidirectional laminates seeded with fluorescent polymer particles which were tracked during cure. Particle image velocimetry and particle tracking velocimetry techniques were applied individually to obtain resin flow velocity and flow pattern during cure. In addition to the peak resin velocity, corresponding time of peak velocity and flow cessation times were investigated during the test. Moreover, the effect of curing parameters such as heating rate, pressure, vacuum, and isothermal temperature on the resin flow were also studied. For unidirectional laminate peak resin velocity in longitudinal direction was an order of magnitude higher than the peak velocity in the transverse direction. Experimental results showed that the peak velocity in longitudinal direction was very close to the maximum velocity of the resin flow test. It was observed that resin reached its peak velocity before attaining its minimum viscosity, then slowed significantly before reaching the gel point. Finally, the resin flow study was further extended for plain weave material. Resin flow was observed in between the tow borders as well as in the tows of the specimen. In regards to plain weave material, resin peak velocities in both longitudinal and transverse directions were of the same order of magnitude. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

This paper explores the construction of poetic identity in three women-poets: Catherine Pozzi, Gabriela Mistral, and Anna Akhmatova by studying relationships between the poets’ life and their poetry. It is focused on tragic or controversial situations in these poets’ lives and the reflections of these situations in images of love and suffering in their poems. My intention is to show that biographical approach retains its value in literary criticism under condition that its limitations are acknowledged. The dark, intertexual, and mysterious images of love and suffering in Pozzi’s poems reflects her poetic identity, which was formed as “sum-total” (Leslie Fiedler) of her knowledge of literature, philosophy, religion, and science; her cultural and intellectual environment; her sophisticated personality together with her sensitivity and long physical struggle with incurable illness. I can only speculate on Mistral’s possible lesbian identity by analyzing her poetry because poetic identity and biographical facts are not the same. Some expression of suffering of her poems certainly relates to the image of “other” woman that Mistral wanted to kill. Akhmatova’s famous cycle Requiem is autobiographical, but it would be a mistake to reduce the poem to the tragic story of her life. Requiem includes many poetic identities: poetic “I”, but also “we” who can be Russian women, those who suffered with Akhmatova, or those who mourned their dead in other historical times, or unnamed peasant woman who was crying on the river Don, or even Virgin Mary when she was staying in silence next to her dying son. We conclude in thesis that there is no direct connection between the poets’ life and their poetic identities; this connection is always mediated. But learning about poets’ live experiences adds more to the meaning and understanding of their poetry. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature

The purpose of this study is to examine the epistemological beliefs of Native Americans in order to gain a better understanding of their beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning. Fifteen adults were interviewed to obtain information related to their beliefs about the source, justification, stability, and structure of knowledge as well as their beliefs about the speed of learning, ability to learn, and their degree of trust in authority. Results confirmed that women attributed a larger percentage of the ability to learn from inborn characteristics, while men attributed a larger percentage of the ability to learn from learning how to learn. The results also confirmed that older participants were more likely to believe that the average person learns moderately fast, participants that disliked math were more likely to believe that the average person learns moderately fast, and participants that liked math were more likely to believe that the average person learns fast. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Counseling, Educational and School Psychology