Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-114).

Thesis--Auburn University, 2010. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

The main purpose with the essay is to look into NATO and annalise how the organisation haschanged it´s security policy work process today 2015, seen from two different world eventsduring the period 1989-2015, the collapse of the Berlin wall and war in Afghanistan. Purposeand issuses also apply based on two theories Anarchymodel and World society model. In orderto highlight two different ways to see NATO:s security policy work process over time untilthe present day. Issues: • How did the fall of Berlin wall in 1989 change NATO:s security policy work process? • How did the war in Afghanistan in 2001 change NATO:s security policy work process? The essay is a qualitative method literature review describing NATO as an organisation andworld events that had impact on NATO over time. The result show that NATO has shifled it´s borders further fast because ”new” membercountries from the former Soviet Union are party members. NATO has moved closer toRussia, and increased in momentum. A possible armed conflict could be in the advantage ofnew markets that werwe previously isolated and intiate a co-operation with entrant´s. The result also shows that terroism and conflicts are carried out between operators and groupswithout fixed borders. It is largely down to the balance of power between NATO and Warsawpact dosesn´t exist anymore. Earlier controlled Superpowers of their allies. It has providedspace for new opponents to understand rights and responsibilities according to their way ofthinking and acting on that basis. These operators are weaker in impact strength and hencethey act according to their own circumstances and conditions, often through terroism. NATOhas transformed a large part of it´s security policy process to better respond to threats such asterroism.

Chemical vapor deposition is a process that enables the deposition of thin films material with a high degree of thickness control, composition and film quality. In an ultra-high vacuum environment (UHV), films of high purity and controlled crystal structure can be achieved. The control of the crystal structure is achieved thanks to reduced contamination, e.g. oxygen, which allows the grown film to align itself with the underlying substrate. The film purity is also ensured by the reduced amount of contaminants present in the UHV environment. This master’s thesis discusses the design and construction of a cold wall reactor using a pyrolytic graphite heater encased in a thin layer of pyrolytic boron nitride, and an Oerlikon-Leybold Turbovac 361 turbomolecular pump. This heater is shown to achieve temperatures greater than 1200°C, as well as reach pressures in the 10-10 Torr range. Graphene growth on copper is discussed as well as the ultra-high vacuum annealing of graphene devices on boron nitride substrates. The graphene growth experiments coupled with this system’s annealing capabilities demonstrate the functionality and versatility of this type of chemical vapor deposition system. / text

This thesis explores the ways in which suspension of disbelief works in digital games. Primarily concerned with how players relate imaginatively to the often major dissonance between gameplay and narrative in digital games, this thesis questions how the literate players of games reconcile these complex texts imaginatively. Proposing that Samuel Taylor Coleridge's concept of suspension of disbelief is a complicated process often cited rhetorically rather than given its theoretical due, this thesis aims to rehabilitate the term and turn it into a useful, sharpened tool for games studies. Digital games themselves are also seen to be an intense new realm of possibilities for the suspension of disbelief, and textual analysis of games which approach the fourth wall or the suspension of disbelief on their own terms helps to make this clear. Beginning by defining the differences of games compared to other media, the thesis goes on to define suspension of disbelief in both its historical and modern contexts and see how it fits with games, isolating three key problems with uniting the concept with the medium. The three chapters which follow looked in more depth at the problems of the skilled reader, fundamental activity and dissonance through investigations into games’ textual construction, the mindsets they engender in players and their reformulation of the fourth wall. The final section looks at the conclusions working together to achieve the dual aims of proposing a new model for game reading which centres around a willed disavowal of presence on the part of the gamer combined with the gamer's taking up of a role offered by the game-text, and rehabilitating both the term and the concept of suspension of disbelief.

Over 110,000 known methamphetamine (meth) clandestine labs were reported in the U.S. from 1999 to 2008. The production of meth is regarded as a national epidemic, and can lead to substantial contamination of indoor materials. Due to its chemical and physical properties, meth residual can persist on indoor surfaces and in indoor air for prolonged periods. Unfortunately, most remediation techniques lack strong scientific support and cleanup standards are inconsistent across different states. A better understanding of the mechanistic interactions between meth and indoor environment can help improve remediation strategies and the development of regulations. In this study, equilibrium partitioning coefficients (Ke) between a meth surrogate and wall materials were estimated based on laboratory experiments. The resulting Ke values were then used in a screening model to predict meth decay rates from wall materials and indoor air. The effects of ventilation and indoor air mixing on meth off gassing were explored. / text

Our study was designed to test the hypothesis that flowfield properties such as WSS are closely related to cardiovascular disease. The spatial distribution patterns of several hemodynamic indices (gradient of WSS) were examined and compared with the (known) locations of plaque formation in human aorta. The part of the aorta on which we focused is ascending, aortic arch and descending aorta. Blood flow is influenced by vessel wall motion. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) is also investigated and discussed during the description of hemodynamic environment that leads to plaque formation in human aorta. Our Data were DICOM files from Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Using Vascular Modeling Toolkit (VMTK) and these scans as the input, we choose level set segmentation method to extract the geometry of the vessel needed for the simulation. ANSYS CFX Solver was used for the simulation of blood flow. The present numerical study revealed a direct correlation between low WSS values and atherosclerotic plaque localization. The results indicate also that Oscillating Shear Index (OSI) shows clearly points where the possibility of atherogenesis is high enough to be ignored. FSI provides unimportant details when we focused on plaque formation. / Η παρούσα εργασία μελετά την υπόθεση που συνδέει τις ιδιότητες του πεδίου ροής, όπως οι διατμητικές τάσεις (Wall Shear Stresses), με καρδιαγγειακές παθήσεις. Η χωρική κατανομή διάφορων δεικτών αιμοδυναμικής φύσεως (όπως η βάθμωση των διατμητικών τάσεων) μελετήθηκε και τα σημεία που εντοπίστηκαν ως ύποπτα για την ανάπτυξη αθηρωματικών πλακών συγκρίθηκαν με γνωστές από τη βιβλιογραφία περιοχές σχηματισμού τέτοιων φλεγμονών στην ανθρώπινη αορτή. Το τμήμα της αορτής στο οποίο εστιάσαμε είναι η ανιούσα, το αορτικό τόξο και η κατιούσα αορτή. Εξετάστηκε απίσης το ενδεχόμενο να επηρεάζεται η ροή του αίματος από την κίνηση του αρτηριακού τοιχώματος.

This thesis considers the apse murals in the sixteenth-century Augustinian mission church of San Agusti­n de Acolman. These murals feature three horizontal rows of enthroned popes, bishops, cardinals, and friars. I connect these murals to contemporary conflicts between the regular and secular clergy in the New Spanish church, arguing that the Augustinians at Acolman used their apse to hierarchically position themselves within the New Spanish church.The figures in these murals will be identified as an allegory of the Roman Church. Comparisons will be drawn between the murals and the Sistine Chapel, suggesting that Acolman's allegorical image of the Church connoted papal power. I also highlight the position of the friars in the lowest level of the murals. Through a comparison with retablos, I demonstrate that these friars are the foundation of the Church. Finally, I reflect upon the implications of allegorizing the Church as a collection of Augustinians.

The cell wall is essential for fungal survival in natural environments. Galactofuranose (Galf) decorates certain carbohydrates and lipids of Aspergillus cell wall, is absent in humans and appears to play a role in fungal cell wall maturation. Previous studies in our lab showed that deletion of any of three sequential-acting genes (ugeA, ugmA, and ugtA) of Galf pathway caused substantially reduced growth and spore production. Two genes upstream of the Galf pathway, galD and galE are essential for galactose metabolism in many systems including the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Interestingly, characterization of galD and galE in A. nidulans using cell and molecular techniques showed that unlike yeast, neither of these genes was essential for growth at physiological pH 7.5. Nevertheless for each case, their expressions were up-regulated by growth on galactose, revealing the relative complexity of galactose metabolism in A. nidulans. Our study also showed that repression of the three sequentially acting Galf pathway genes by conditional promoters phenocopied previously characterized deletion morphology. Using anti-Galf (L10) we also showed that deletion and repression of these genes caused no Galf in the hyphal wall. Gene deletion or repression also increased sensitivity to the wall-targeting drug, caspofungin. Related results from qPCR showed that deletion or repression of ugmA increased gene expression of α-glucan synthase agsB and decreased that of β-glucan synthase fksA. Therefore, Galf is non-essential but important for many aspects of Aspergillus growth, sporulation, and wall maturation. Aspergillosis, the most common airborne systemic fungal disease, is typically caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Several A. fumigatus UgmA (AfUgmA) mutants with altered enzyme activity due to single amino acid changes were used to assess their effect on growth and wall composition in A. nidulans. Wild type AfugmA complemented the phenotypic defects in an A. nidulans ugmAΔ strain, consistent with these two genes being homologous. The AfUgmA crystal structure has been solved, and the in vitro enzymatic effects of specific mutations in the enzyme active site have been published. AfUgmA mutated strains with reduced activity in vitro impaired A. nidulans growth in a manner substantially similar to gene deletion and gene down-regulation. Site directed mutagenesis showed that AfUgmA residues R182 and R327 were critical for Galf generation both in vivo and in vitro. This supports previous results showing that UgmA is essential for Galf biosynthesis. Using fluorescent latex beads, we showed that reduction of wall Galf increased hyphal surface adhesion. Consistent with qPCR studies, immunofluorescence and ELISA results showed that loss or absence of Galf increased wall α-glucan but reduced wall β -glucan. Galf is important for wall surface integrity and for maintaining dynamic co-ordination with other pathways. To begin to assess this dynamic co-ordination, Tandem Affinity Purification (TAP) tagging combined with LC-MS/MS was used to identify the interacting partners of UgmA. Our results showed that UgmA interacted with proteins that are involved in cytoskeleton generation, osmotic adaptation, and cell signalling pathway. Further study will help us to understand the dynamic coordination of Galf biosynthesis pathway with other wall carbohydrate polymers for Aspergillus wall formation. In summary, my thesis results have clearly shown that Galf plays important roles in Aspergillus growth, and wall surface integrity. We also showed that Galf deficient strains are hypersensitive to wall-targeting drugs, indicating that Galf biosynthesis pathway could be potential target for combination therapy. The Galf pathway also maintained a dynamic co-ordination with alpha-glucan and beta-glucan carbohydrate pathways. Future study may include developing an inhibitor against UgmA and exploring the relationship of Galf pathway with alpha-glucan and beta-glucan carbohydrate pathways.

This research study considered subsonic short air-air ejectors with multi-ring entraining diffusers. Many references can be found for the design of air-air ejectors with solid diffusers. However, a limited amount of work has been published specially addressing the performance of short ejectors with entraining diffusers. This study was an experimental and computational investigation of how ejector performance is affected by ejector geometry (i.e. nozzle, mixing tube and diffuser), flow inlet swirl conditions and flow temperature. Ejector performance was quantified in terms of pumping, pressure recovery, wall temperature and velocity and temperature distribution at the diffuser exit. The experiments were conducted on one cold flow wind tunnel and one hot gas wind tunnel. In total, eight ejector systems were tested for this research. Five different swirl conditions and two primary air flow temperatures were studied. Ejector inlet conditions were measured using four fixed 7-hole pressure probes in the annulus. Ejector exit flow conditions were measured using a traversing 7-hole pressure probe with a thermocouple. A parallel computational study was conducted along with the experimental study. The commercial CFD packages, Gambit 2.3 and Fluent 6.2, were selected for meshing and flow solutions. The objective of the computational study was to determine the utility of RANS based CFD model for predicting device performance as design changes were implemented. The computational study was intended to provide practitioners with guidance as to when CFD will provide practical answers to specific questions relating to the ejector performance including ejector pumping, pressure recovery, wall temperatures and velocity and temperature distribution at the diffuser exit. In total, twenty-six complete cold flow experiments and twenty complete hot flow experiments have been completed. A detailed CFD model study has been performed to select the suitable computational domain, mesh density, boundary conditions, turbulence model and near wall treatment. Twenty-four CFD cases were selected to compare with the corresponding experimental data. The experimental results showed that the inlet swirl conditions and the diffuser bent angle had significant effects on the ejector performance. In general, the maximum ejector performance was achieved with the 20° inlet swirl condition. This level of swirl enhanced pressure recovery in the ejector. As the diffuser bent angle increased, the total pumping decreased due to the flow impingement in the diffuser. The oblong ejector generally had better flow mixing performance than the round ejector. For the CFD simulations, the Realizable k-ε turbulence model was found to give reasonable predictions for most of the bulk flow properties such as the total pumping, velocity profiles, swirl levels and back pressure. These were achieved at a reasonable cost in terms of the human efforts and computational resources. The RSM was able to give slightly improved predictions but at a much higher cost in terms of the efforts and computing resources. All of the turbulence models had difficulty predicting the pressure recovery in the mixing tube and diffuser because of their inability to accurately predict flow separation in the core of the swirling primary flow. As a result of this, the turbulence models considered in this work overpredicted the pumping of the mixing tube and underpredicted the pumping of the entraining diffuser. This unresolved issue with the CFD models is an important consideration when designing such devices. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-08 00:26:54.931 / This project has been funded by joint contribution from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Department of National Defence (DND)and W.R. Davis Engineering Ltd.