ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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Description
Scholars have written much about home and meaning, yet they have said little about the professionally furnished model home viewed as a cultural artifact. Nor is there literature addressing how the home building industry uses these spaces to promote images of family life to increase sales. This research notes that not only do the structure, design, and layout of the model home formulate cultural identity but also the furnishings and materials within. Together, the model home and carefully selected artifacts placed therein help to express specific chosen lifestyles as that the home builder determines. This thesis considers the model home as constructed as well as builder's publications, descriptions, and advertisements. The research recognizes the many facets of merchandising, consumerism, and commercialism influencing the design and architecture of the suburban home. Historians of visual and cultural studies often investigate these issues as separate components. By contrast, this thesis offers an integrated framework of inquiry, drawing upon such disciplines as cultural history, anthropology, and material culture. The research methodology employs two forms of content analysis - image and text. The study analyzes 36 model homes built in Phoenix, Arizona, during the period 1955-1956. The thesis explores how the builder sends a message, i.e. images, ideals, and aspirations, to the potential home buyer through the design and decoration of the model home. It then speculates how the home buyer responds to those messages. The symbiotic relationship between the sender and receiver, together, tells a story about the Phoenix lifestyle and the domestic ideals of the 1950s. Builders sent messages surrounding convenience, spaciousness, added luxury, and indoor-outdoor living to a growing and discriminating home buying market.
ContributorsGolab, Coreen R (Author) / Brandt, Beverly K. (Thesis advisor) / Bernardi, Jose (Committee member) / Schleif, Corine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Many of the scholars that have chronicled the creation of the modern American kitchen have written about how the technological, societal, and cultural revolutions of the twentieth century played a role in dramatically changing its structure and design. More recently, some scholarly research has focused on the evolution of the kitchen and its meaning over time. In several of these research publications scholars profess that the modern American kitchen, more than any other room, has come to symbolize the center or heart of the home, and the warmest room in the house. However, they are quick to acknowledge that, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the kitchen was not so fondly regarded. Little research exists regarding why individuals increasingly became attached to the kitchen or how that attachment influenced the layout, size, objects, and activities conducted in the kitchen. This thesis fills this void by exploring the implications of place attachment on the evolution of the American kitchen from 1901 through 1964. By approaching this research from a combination of design history and environmental psychology, this thesis provides a new perspective to our understanding of the evolution of kitchen design. Using this two-pronged approach, this study contributes to our understanding of the evolution of the kitchen. This study traces the evolution of the modern American kitchen using two qualitative methodologies: material culture and phenomenology. Drawing from a variety of floor plans, advertisements, and articles contained in the House Beautiful magazine 1901 through 1964, as well as writings from popular domestic advisors of the period, this thesis charts the transformation of the modern American kitchen from a "hell on earth" into the "heart and soul of the home." By combining place attachment theory and kitchen design research this thesis provides interior designers new insight into designing kitchens that foster endearing emotional attachment for our clients.
ContributorsTassell, Toni J (Author) / Brandt, Beverly (Thesis advisor) / Heywood, William (Thesis advisor) / Warren-Findley, Janelle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
There is a popular notion that creativity is highly valued in our culture. However, those "in the trenches," people in creative endeavors that actually produce the acts of creativity, say this is not so. There is a negative correlation between the value stated and the true value placed on creativity by our contemporary culture. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate that correlation as well as a possible contributing factor to this negative correlation--the fear of risk involved in enacting and accepting creativity. The methods used in this study were literature review and interview. An extensive literature review was done, as much has been written on creativity. The review was done in four parts: 1) the difficulty in defining creativity; 2) fear and the fear of creativity; 3) solutions - ways to be, express, and accept creativity; and 4) the plethora of articles written about creativity. Six one-on-one interviews were conducted with creative individuals from a variety of commercial creative endeavors. Creatives in commercial fields were chosen specifically because of their ability to influence the culture. The results of this study showed that the hypothesis, that there is a negative correlation between the value stated and the true value placed on creativity, is true. The fear of risk involved in enacting and accepting creativity as a factor in this dichotomy was also shown to be true.
ContributorsGelman, Howard P (Author) / Heywood, Wil (Thesis advisor) / Patel, Mookesh (Committee member) / Knox, Gordon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Autonomous vehicle control systems utilize real-time kinematic Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers to provide a position within two-centimeter of truth. GNSS receivers utilize the satellite signal time of arrival estimates to solve for position; and multipath corrupts the time of arrival estimates with a time-varying bias. Time of arrival estimates are based upon accurate direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) code and carrier phase tracking. Current multipath mitigating GNSS solutions include fixed radiation pattern antennas and windowed delay-lock loop code phase discriminators. A new multipath mitigating code tracking algorithm is introduced that utilizes a non-symmetric correlation kernel to reject multipath. Independent parameters provide a means to trade-off code tracking discriminant gain against multipath mitigation performance. The algorithm performance is characterized in terms of multipath phase error bias, phase error estimation variance, tracking range, tracking ambiguity and implementation complexity. The algorithm is suitable for modernized GNSS signals including Binary Phase Shift Keyed (BPSK) and a variety of Binary Offset Keyed (BOC) signals. The algorithm compensates for unbalanced code sequences to ensure a code tracking bias does not result from the use of asymmetric correlation kernels. The algorithm does not require explicit knowledge of the propagation channel model. Design recommendations for selecting the algorithm parameters to mitigate precorrelation filter distortion are also provided.
ContributorsMiller, Steven (Author) / Spanias, Andreas (Thesis advisor) / Tepedelenlioğlu, Cihan (Committee member) / Tsakalis, Konstantinos (Committee member) / Zhang, Junshan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Since its launch by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has been postured as the "gold standard" for environmentally conscious, sustainable building design, construction and operations. However, as a "living measurement", one which requires ongoing evaluation and reporting of attainment and compliance with LEED certification requirements, there is none. Once awarded, LEED certification does not have a required reporting component to effectively track continued adherence to LEED standards. In addition, there is no expiry tied to the certification; once obtained, a LEED certification rating is presumed to be a valid representation of project certification status. Therefore, LEED lacks a requirement to demonstrate environmental impact of construction materials and building systems over the entire life of the project. Consequently, LEED certification is merely a label rather than a true representation of ongoing adherence to program performance requirements over time. Without continued monitoring and reporting of building design and construction features, and in the absence of recertification requirements, LEED is, in reality, a gold star rather than a gold standard. This thesis examines the lack of required ongoing monitoring, reporting, or recertification requirements following the award by the USGBC of LEED certification; compares LEED with other international programs which do have ongoing reporting or recertification requirements; demonstrates the need and benefit of ongoing reporting or recertification requirements; and explores possible methods for implementation of mandatory reporting requirements within the program.
ContributorsCarpenter, Anne Therese (Author) / Olson, Larry (Thesis advisor) / Hild, Nicholas (Committee member) / Brown, Albert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and novel methods of treating advanced malignancies are of high importance. Of these deaths, prostate cancer and breast cancer are the second most fatal carcinomas in men and women respectively, while pancreatic cancer is the fourth most fatal in both men and women. Developing new drugs for the treatment of cancer is both a slow and expensive process. It is estimated that it takes an average of 15 years and an expense of $800 million to bring a single new drug to the market. However, it is also estimated that nearly 40% of that cost could be avoided by finding alternative uses for drugs that have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The research presented in this document describes the testing, identification, and mechanistic evaluation of novel methods for treating many human carcinomas using drugs previously approved by the FDA. A tissue culture plate-based screening of FDA approved drugs will identify compounds that can be used in combination with the protein TRAIL to induce apoptosis selectively in cancer cells. Identified leads will next be optimized using high-throughput microfluidic devices to determine the most effective treatment conditions. Finally, a rigorous mechanistic analysis will be conducted to understand how the FDA-approved drug mitoxantrone, sensitizes cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis.
ContributorsTaylor, David (Author) / Rege, Kaushal (Thesis advisor) / Jayaraman, Arul (Committee member) / Nielsen, David (Committee member) / Kodibagkar, Vikram (Committee member) / Dai, Lenore (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Objective: The aim of this research is to uncover, via a comprehensive cross study analysis, data patterns that could potentially point to a positive correlation between two main variables: anesthetic monitoring equipment and anesthetic decision making. Of particular interest is the equipment's monitor screen and the extent to which its user interface design influences anesthetic situation awareness (SA) and hence, decision making. It is hypothesized that poor anesthetic diagnosis from inadequate SA may be largely attributable to patient data displays lacking in human factors design considerations. Methods: A systematic search was conducted of existing empirical studies pertaining to patient physiologic monitoring that spanned across interrelated domains, namely, ergonomics, medical informatics, visual computing, cognitive psychology, human factors, clinical monitoring, intensive care medicine, and intelligent systems etc. all published in scholarly research journals between 1970 to August 2012. Anesthetic-related keywords were queried i.e. anesthetic mishaps, patient physiological data displays, anesthetic vigilance etc. (found in Appendix A). This approach yielded a few thousand results, of which 65 empirical studies were pulled. Further extraction of articles having direct connection to the use of data displays within the anesthetic context produced a total of 20 empirical studies. These studies were grouped under two broad categories of Monitoring and Monitors whereby factors directly contributing to the studies' results were identified with the aim to find emerging themes that provide insights involving interface design and medical decision making. Results: There is a direct correlation between user-interface design and decision making. The situation awareness (SA) required for decision making heavily relies upon data displays oriented towards information extraction and integration. In the systematic assessment of empirical studies, it is undeniable how strikingly prominent visual attributes show up as contributing factors to subjects' enhanced performance in the studies. Conclusions: How and to what users direct their perceptual and cognitive resources necessarily influence their perception of the environment, and by extension, their development of situation awareness (SA). Although patient monitoring equipment employed in anesthetic practice has proven to be indispensable in quality patient care, graphical representations of patient data is still far from optimal in the clinical setting. User-interfaces that lend decision support to facilitate SA and subsequent decision making is critical in crisis management.
ContributorsNguyen, Angie (Author) / Velasquez, Joseph (Thesis advisor) / McDermott, Lauren (Thesis advisor) / Herring, Don (Committee member) / Branaghan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The research presented explores traditional Chinese visual design elements with a goal of incorporating them into contemporary design. It seeks to provide insight into how Chinese and non-Chinese designers and non-designers recognize common visual design elements as being associated with Chinese design. As a result, the research explores three characteristics: a) handicraft; b) naturalism; and c) design with meaning, which can be key points in understanding traditional Chinese design. Furthermore, the research explores two sets of design criteria that can guide designers to apply these representative design elements into contemporary design in order to express Chinese culture.
ContributorsRen, Liqi (Author) / Giard, Jacques (Thesis advisor) / Brown, Claudia (Committee member) / Cheung, Patrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Liquid-liquid interfaces serve as ideal 2-D templates on which solid particles can self-assemble into various structures. These self-assembly processes are important in fabrication of micron-sized devices and emulsion formulation. At oil/water interfaces, these structures can range from close-packed aggregates to ordered lattices. By incorporating an ionic liquid (IL) at the interface, new self-assembly phenomena emerge. ILs are ionic compounds that are liquid at room temperature (essentially molten salts at ambient conditions) that have remarkable properties such as negligible volatility and high chemical stability and can be optimized for nearly any application. The nature of IL-fluid interfaces has not yet been studied in depth. Consequently, the corresponding self-assembly phenomena have not yet been explored. We demonstrate how the unique molecular nature of ILs allows for new self-assembly phenomena to take place at their interfaces. These phenomena include droplet bridging (the self-assembly of both particles and emulsion droplets), spontaneous particle transport through the liquid-liquid interface, and various gelation behaviors. In droplet bridging, self-assembled monolayers of particles effectively "glue" emulsion droplets to one another, allowing the droplets to self-assembly into large networks. With particle transport, it is experimentally demonstrated the ILs overcome the strong adhesive nature of the liquid-liquid interface and extract solid particles from the bulk phase without the aid of external forces. These phenomena are quantified and corresponding mechanisms are proposed. The experimental investigations are supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which allow for a molecular view of the self-assembly process. In particular, we show that particle self-assembly depends primarily on the surface chemistry of the particles and the non-IL fluid at the interface. Free energy calculations show that the attractive forces between nanoparticles and the liquid-liquid interface are unusually long-ranged, due to capillary waves. Furthermore, IL cations can exhibit molecular ordering at the IL-oil interface, resulting in a slight residual charge at this interface. We also explore the transient IL-IL interface, revealing molecular interactions responsible for the unusually slow mixing dynamics between two ILs. This dissertation, therefore, contributes to both experimental and theoretical understanding of particle self-assembly at IL based interfaces.
ContributorsFrost, Denzil (Author) / Dai, Lenore L (Thesis advisor) / Torres, César I (Committee member) / Nielsen, David R (Committee member) / Squires, Kyle D (Committee member) / Rege, Kaushal (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The process of this study involves conducting empirical tests on consumer's emotional responses toward tableware designs by statistic measurements (PrEmo), including both Chinese and American cultures. The objective to this study is to research the correlation between consumers' cognitive analysis of Chinese tableware designs and their emotional responses. The author proposes that the correlationship between consumers' cognition of Chinese tableware and emotional responses will lead to a new opportunity in the industrial design industry. Fifty-seven people responded to sixty-seven invitations to join the research project at Chinese restaurants in both China and America. Throughout the process of coding and organizing the survey data, a finding shows that there is a connection between consumer sensitivity toward the products and their emotional bonds to the assigned product designs. The data showed that more people in China are expending greater effort in choosing suitable tableware designs compared to the people in the U.S. Key words: Emotion, Cognition, Culture, Tableware design, Chinese restaurants
ContributorsLiu, Ran (Author) / Herring, Donald (Thesis advisor) / Wolf, Peter (Committee member) / Wang, Ning (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013