This dissertation is sequestered till August 2014. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

This dissertation is sequestered till August 2014. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

This dissertation is sequestered till August 2014. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry

Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology.

This thesis is sequestered till May 2014 / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

This dissertation is sequestered till May 2014 / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences

Much research exists on the considerable influence of American and European culture on the newly opened borders of Japan in the 1920’s, yet there is very little recognition of French influences beyond the acknowledgement of Surrealism in literary and artistic circles. Evidence exists, however, that French thought made a deep and lasting impression on Japanese culture; an effect that permeated the formation of Japanese philosophy to the modern expression of Japanese animated film, or anime. Currently, evidence does not bear out a premise of direct influence, but unmistakable parallels in philosophical development point to French writer and thinker Georges Bataille, who extended Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of grotesque realism as a literary tool formulated to demand a response from the audience. Japanese writers Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe used imagery in a similar way as Georges Bataille; they used images derived from their own culture as well as shared surrealist symbols and grotesque imagery. Just as Bataille did, Kawabata and Oe worked out their own personal, societal, and psychological concerns in a sensory-heavy method in order to shock the audience into mental and emotional participation. Specific grotesque or erotic symbolism employed by Bataille, Kawabata, Oe, and anime is not evidence of the connection; instead, it is how each used the shock value of grotesque imagery to create a sensory overload in order to demand audience involvement in a personal and nationwide discussion. The intent of this exploration is not to prove that Japanese anime is founded on French ideology, but instead to clearly and plausibly demonstrate a link between the two, in Kawabata’s parallel constructions and Oe’s assimilation regarding Bataille, and to show the development and extension of Georges Bataille’s philosophy in early and modern Japanese anime. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of English

In this thesis, wing-body junction flow is studied parametrically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in an attempt to understand the effects of junction flow on aircraft drag, with a focus on application to large business jet or commercial transport aircraft. A CFD methodology is validated against detailed experimental data for a junction flow. The same methodology is validated against a high Reynolds number, transonic wind tunnel test of a wing. CFD results for a wing with a leading-edge strake (an aerodynamic surface designed to reduce flow separation, thereby reducing aircraft drag) are presented and compared to experimental data, and the effects of scaling this strake are explored using CFD. The effectiveness of the strake on a swept wing is compared to the same for a straight wing. Finally, the results from this parametric study are successfully applied to sizing a leading-edge strake for a commercial transport aircraft. It is demonstrated that a systematic approach, starting with a simple validated model and building up to a realistic aircraft application, can build confidence in CFD results. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Extent of cure and rheological properties were obtained for out-of autoclave materials, Cycom 5320-8HS and Cycom 5320-PW, for the manufacturer recommended cure cycle using Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Encapsulated Sample Rheometer (ESR), respectively. Rheological properties from ESR were further used in designing the cure cycles to study the evolution of mechanical properties. Five panels were cured at different cure stages using the designed cure cycles and coupons were tested for short beam shear and combined loading compression properties at different cure stages. To correlate the mechanical properties with its respective glass transition temperature, Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) was used to obtain the glass transition temperature for the coupons obtained from the respective panels. Statistical results showed significant difference in short beam shear and combined loading compression properties up to vitrification, however, no significant difference was observed on these mechanical properties after vitrification. The observed linear trend between degree of cure (DOC) and glass transition temperature (Tg) was validated using Dibenedetto relation. Linearly increasing trend between degree of cure (DOC) and glass transition temperature (Tg) for different cure states suggests that both DOC and Tg can be used interchangeably to define the state of material. A good correlation was observed between material cure state and the mechanical properties. A mathematical model was also proposed to determine the short beam shear and combined loading compression properties based on material cure state. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

Algal farming in open ponds can be done with simple technology and low capital expenditures. However, in relatively uncontrolled ponds the likelihood that microbial contamination that could affect algal yield is high. We are interested in understanding natural contamination as an ecological process to better control the trajectory of microbial community assembly. Nannochloropsis salina was grown in small outdoor open ponds (100 L; 10 cm deep) through three cycles of batch culture using a simplified brackish growth medium. Time-course samples were monitored via pigment analyses, and direct microscopic counts. Extracted metagenomic DNA was subjected to touchdown PCR for amplification of 16S rRNA genes with universal bacterial primers and 18S rRNA genes with algae-specific primers, both using GC-clamps. PCR products of similar lengths were separated by melting characteristics using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Contamination of the open ponds by algae was not observed over three two-week batch culture cycles, however, contamination by bacteria was observed. Salinity and pH were likely major factors behind limited algal contamination. DGGE bands from bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplifications were excised, eluted, reamplified, and sequenced, revealing a diverse consortium of bacteria including Aeromonas, Loktanella, Marinobacter, and Pseudomonas. Most of the bands were seen on third and fourth day of the batch culture. As the culture progressed, the number of bands seen with DGGE decreased. Band migration was measured and relative front values were calculated. A 2% overall window was used to analyze how closely one band is associated with another. Overall there were 22 individual bands designated as novel based on relative front values. A dendrogram of relatedness was created to compare time-course samples from triplicate ponds, supporting the conclusion that community assembly was more of stochastic than deterministic in nature. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences