Bread is widely consumed and is an ideal vehicle for nutraceutical delivery. Sorghum bran, flax, and inulin are nutraceutical ingredients that may be incorporated into bread to provide health benefits. Because celiacs can not consume bread containing wheat flour, a need exists for gluten-free bread containing nutraceutical ingredients. In preliminary research, bread containing 12% brown sorghum bran and 5% flaxseed was developed. In an effort to reduce rapid staling, soy flour was substituted for 0, 2, 4, and 6% of the wheat flour. Bread was evaluated based on specific volume, crumb firmness, color, moisture, nutrition content, and sensory evaluation. Sorghum bran was high in dietary fiber (45%) and antioxidants (oxygen radical absorbance capacity, ORAC). Flaxseed also contained dietary fiber (28%) and omega-3 fatty acids. Soy flour was high in protein. High levels of soy flour increased crumb firmness and decreased specific volume. The bread containing 2% soy flour was preferred, however, by panelists in sensory evaluation. Per 56 g serving, this bread provided ~3 g dietary fiber, ~396 mg omega-3 fatty acids, and ~3417 mol TE antioxidant activity. The use of low levels of soy flour in bread containing sorghum bran and flaxseed may help improve palatability and increase consumption of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids in bread. A gluten-free bread containing sorghum bran, flax, and inulin was also developed for consumers with celiac disease. Breads were evaluated based on the same parameters as described above. Inulin was high in soluble fiber (90%). The optimum formula was 10% inulin, 5% sorghum bran, and 5% flax. This formula had improved specific volume, reduced crumb firmness, and an attractive dark colored crumb. One 56 g serving of the bread provided ~2 g dietary fiber, ~1882 mol TE antioxidant value, and ~287 mg omega-3 fatty acids. When compared to commercially available gluten-free bread mixes, the optimum formula was significantly improved with regards to crumb firmness and provided acceptable specific volume. Because of the improved bread qualities and high levels of health-promoting nutraceutical ingredients, the optimum formula could likely compete in the gluten-free bread market.

With the development of smaller and higher density surface mount packages like Quad Flat No-lead (QFN) and Ball Grid Array (BGA), solder joints¡¦ strength of the electronic components has a greater impact on the reliability of an end product. Also, the decrease in size of consumer products such as cellular phones, PDAs and MP3 players, has increased the frequency of accidental drops resulting in solder joint cracks and eventually malfunction of the products. With legislation put in place by government and industrial bodies, electronics companies are driven to eliminate the uses of lead in their products. It thus leads to the concern of reliability of lead-free solders as interconnects. The present work aims at studying the effects of drop impact on the strength of solder joint of lead free solder (Sn4Ag0.5Cu) and BGA substrate metal finish electrolytic Ni and Au. In this study, the effects of internal stresses in BGA Ni layer and Pre-treatment Micro-Etching processing on the strength of Sn/Ag/Cu solder joint are investigated. The drop test and peel off test are adopted in testing the strength according to the standard of JEDEC. The drop test results have shown that the compressive internal stresses in the Ni layer have worse effects on the joint strength than tensile internal stresses can affect. The failure modes are analyzed and can be concluded that all failures occur at the interface of IMC and the surface of Ni layer on BGA substrate. The drop test results have shown also that the strength of the solder joint with the lower concentration of SPS in pre-treatment micro-etching is stronger and all the failures occur at the interface of IMC and the surface of PCB Cu Pad. Comparing with the effect of internal stress in Ni layer, SPS concentration in pre-treatment micro-etching to affect the solder joint strength is more significant.

With an estimated 400 million domestic cats worldwide, free-roaming cats issues are of global importance due to animal welfare and public health concerns, as well as impacts on native wildlife through predation, competition and disease transmission. Though these impacts have been well documented, no research has evaluated the ecology and population dynamics of unmanaged, free-roaming cat populations using radio-telemetry. My objectives were to (1) compare population demographics (survival, fecundity and annual ranges/movements) among sex and ownership classifications (feral, semi-feral, and owned), (2) evaluate mark-resight and distance sampling for estimating cat abundances in urban areas, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness and costs associated with euthanasia and trap/treat/neuter/release (TTNR) programs for controlling urban cat populations. I radio-collared free-roaming cats (feral, n = 30; semi-feral, n = 14; owned, n = 10) in Caldwell, Texas (October 2004-2005). I found (1) increased levels of ownership or feeding reduce free-roaming cats’ ranges and movements while increasing survival and fecundity, (2) distance sampling resulted in precise abundance estimates providing an alternative to estimating urban cat densities, and (3) both euthanasia and TTNR may effectively reduce free-roaming cat numbers if implemented at high rates (>50% of population treated) the first year. I recommend euthanasia be implemented in ecologically sensitive areas and TTNR in areas lacking public support for lethal control. Population control solutions should include public education to increase awareness of cat issues and impacts, and pre- and post-implementation monitoring plans.

This thesis presents a Thomistic account of divine providence and human freedom. I defend and develop the traditional view by adopting some contemporary interpretations of it. I argue that the Thomist solution provides an idea that divine providence is compatible with libertarian freedom. In the first chapter I provide the definition of divine providence, which is God’s continuing action in preserving his creation. In another word, not only does God create the universe and conserve it in existence at every moment, but he also guides it according to his purpose. In the second chapter, I critically examine three solutions to the problem of providence and human freedom. They are compatibilism, open theism, and Molinism. I argue that the solutions are unsatisfactory in that they too easily give up some of the important doctrines concerning God and humans. In Chapter III, I develop a Thomistic account of divine providence and human freedom. The Thomistic theory, I argue, well preserves traditional doctrines concerning both God and humans without damaging either providence or libertarian freedom for humans. In particular, I briefly examine some characteristics of God, which are timelessness and his activity as the First Cause. Based on these features of God’s nature, I show how human beings enjoy entire freedom in the libertarian sense although God has complete sovereignty over human free choices in the world. If the present view is correct, what makes it less attractive is that the theory seems to make God the author of sin. So I finally deal with the problem of moral responsibility and the problem of evil and sin, showing that humans, not God, are the author of sin. I contend that God wills that humans sin but he has a certain purpose for doing so within his providence. But that never destroys human freedom, so humans are responsible for their decisions and actions. Within the Thomistic explanation we can have a logically coherent view of compatibility of divine providence with libertarian freedom of humans. In the last chapter, I summarize my argument and deal with some implications of it.

This dissertation examines how games have been construed legally and publicly and compares the nature of games to the de facto legal criteria: in order for games to receive free speech protection, games must inform and communicate. In Chapter I, I review the literature surrounding the effects of violent video games. This literature review serves as a foundation for the rhetorical nature of the legal controversy since the controversy has no clear-cut answer to the effects of video games. Instead of a clear "Yes"€ or "€œNo"€ answer, game effects researchers can only posit "Maybe"€ and "No"€ findings. Game antagonists employed long-shot and shoddy research to argue their case that violent games produce violent people. The next two chapters lay a foundation for justifying why games have become increasingly controversial to date. In Chapter II, I outline a history of games and argue that games became communicative in the early 1990s. As a response to graphically communicative games and congressional bullying, the video game industry created a self regulatory rating board which should have quelled the public controversy. It did not. In Chapter III, I argue that Columbine changed the face of the game industry in the eyes of the public, as a matter of public morality. Before 1999, the public viewed games in a positive light, embodying one of America'€™s pastimes and helping the disabled with their motor skills. After the events at Columbine, the public saw the video game industry as an unruly and rogue force. In Chapter IV, I explain the legal hurtles the game industry faces in becoming protected speech. While video games have become communicative and informative, they likely will not receive free speech protection because of the public scapegoating of the industry during the last two and a half decades. I conclude by discussing the latest Grand Theft Auto "€œHot Coffee"€ controversy and how game developers remain gun-shy about the free speech issue.

This research develops a procedure to determine the applied stresses in rails using the acoustoelastic effect of ultrasonic waves. Acoustoelasticity is defined as the stress dependency of ultrasonic wave speed or wave polarization. Analytical models are developed that predict the acoustoelastic effect for longitudinal waves, shear waves, Lamb waves, and Rayleigh waves. Using a programming tool, a numerical simulation of the models is generated to obtain the stress dependent curves of wave velocity and polarization of the various ultrasonic waves propagating in rail steel. A comparison of the sensitivity of the acoustoelastic effect is made to determine the feasibility of ultrasonic waves for further study. Rayleigh waves are found to be most sensitive to stress change. Rayleigh waves are generated using ultrasonic transducer and detected using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). The LDV measures the in-plane and out-of-plane velocities. Polarization is defined as the ratio of in-plane and out-of-plane displacements. Initially, polarization is determined for the specimen in unstressed condition. Thereafter, the rail specimen is stressed in a compression testing machine, the experiment repeated, and the polarization determined. Thus, Rayleigh wave polarization is obtained as a function of applied stress. Finally, the change in polarization obtained experimentally is compared with the analytical model.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-128).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-97).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Northwestern University, 1915. / Vita. "Chapters II and VII (with some changes) have appeared in the Monist and the Philosophical review.

Thesis (D.Com.(Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.