The purpose of telecommunication network configuration optimization is to find the best homing relationship between tandems and switches so as to minimize interswitch traffic, or equivalently to maximize intraswitch traffic. Note that, since minimal interswitch traffic implies minimal IMT utilization, communication costs will also be minimal.

My work contains physical and illusionary layers of images which reflect or relate cultural and personal experiences. These experiences address collective cultural patterns or personal and collective experience simultaneously. Visual metaphorical and literal patterns represent behavior and experiences. Inherent in the presentation of these types of patterns and experiences is the implication of time and the relationships between old, new, and changed experience. One vehicle for effectively portraying these linear layers of literal/metaphorical images in fibers could be visual images representing a metaphorical pattern combined with literal patterns. The literal pattern would either reflect or have a relationship with the metaphorical pattern. Another vehicle for expressing the linear layers of images could be varying representations of depth of field exist.

The gum bichromate print offers the potential of allowing me to combine different media in my work, while reducing the cumbersome scale and retaining the visual impact of larger scale pieces. However, there are numerous problems to be solved in executing gum bichromate prints in a scale large enough to have the powerful visual impact that I feel is essential for the content of my work. I propose to refine the gum bichromate process to accommodate the scale of my work and to combine a variety of media.

For centuries, books have been a traditional way to display prints. Contemporary artists' books have become more than simply a method of displaying prints and have, in fact, become a relevant medium for artistic expression. It has been important to my work that each of my artist's books have functioned as a unified whole, all parts of complementing each other and strengthening the overall concept.

A comparison of classical and contemporary cultures was made by recreating classical sculptural imagery in contemporary recyclable materials. I proposed to use the detritus of modern culture to render sculpture that was ancient in subject, stance, and scale. The intention of this work was to create a visual discourse between cultures by bringing together elements of each, showing points of congruence and disparity.

In this body of work I have attempted to unify those aspects of utilitarian pottery and sculptural ceramics which I value most. I intended to join the inherent interactive nature of pottery with the capacity of sculptural ceramics to convey content through a personal aesthetic. Through this exploration I have developed a stronger personal expression in clay.

In pursuing the humorous content in my work, my surrealistic imagery could potentially enhance the impact of my irony-based work. I explored a variety of jewelry formats with different motifs and imagery to enhance the combination of the comedic with the enamelled imagery.

Inborn in all of us is the need to secure those possessions we feel are precious. The purpose of this problem was to take a step beyond the container for valuable possessions and create containers designed to safely protect feelings and memories, specifically my feelings and memories regarding my personal relationships.

Stress responses and coping strategies were assessed for 155 fire fighters who worked during and immediately following Hurricane Andrew in Dade County, Florida in 1992. The participants were surveyed approximately two months after the hurricane, and again one year following the hurricane. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the amount of emotional social support received and the amount of symptomatology the participants experienced. This study also introduced empathy as a form of perceived emotional social support and examined the relationship between the empathy felt by the participants and the symptomatology they experienced. For this study, empathy was defined as a participant's ratings of feeling that others truly understand what he or she has been through and is feeling. While other forms of received motional social support were related to an increase in symptomatology, more empathy was related to less symptomatology, in some cases significantly.

This problem in lieu of thesis project looked at the style of a place setting as an exciting part of the meal. The study concluded that funware is achieved through a combination of color choice and a harmonious relationship of the dinnerware and the surface decorations.

The motivation behind this research has been the idea of the capability of the computing device to dynamically reconfigure itself. The goal of this work is to measure the computational power of reconfigurable machines rather in an abstract manner by proposing a model the FPGAs abstract computing machines. Modeling FPGAs in terms of Automata Theory would give a base to answer more fundamental questions about the capabilities and possible answers. If a Finite State Machine (FSM) or a Turing Machine (TM) has the capability of reconfiguring its finite control, does this ability give the abstract computing device new computational power. In other words is a reconfigurable FSM, TM or a Cellular Automata more powerful than their corresponding non-configurable versions?

A continuing goal of my work has been the desire to evoke strong emotive responses in relation to imagery. The content of this body of work deals with suicide, utilizing text with imagery. The content of this body of work deals with suicide, utilizing text with imagery. I have explored in this body of work the aspects of suicide and how it relates to the individual as well as the family.