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Phenolic Resin/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (Poss) Hybrid Nanocomposites And Advanced Composites For Use As Anode Materials In Lithium Ion Batteries, Sang Ho Lee Dec 2007

Phenolic Resin/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (Poss) Hybrid Nanocomposites And Advanced Composites For Use As Anode Materials In Lithium Ion Batteries, Sang Ho Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The work presented in this thesis can be divided into two research areas. First, two sets of organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites containing phenolic resin/trisilanolphenyl-POSS and phenolic resin/octa(aminophenyl)-T8-POSS nanocomposites were synthesized and the morphology and properties were investigated. Octa(aminophenyl)-T8-polyhedral silsesquioxane is an octafunctional-T8-POSS containing eight aniline-like amino groups, one on each corner silicon atom. It was synthesized in our laboratory by an improved two-step reaction sequence; nitration (HNO3) and reduction (HCOOH/Et3N). Varying amounts of POSS were codissolved with a resole phenolic resin in organic solvent. This was followed by solvent removal and thermal curing. Intermolecular interactions in these nanocomposites were probed by …


Non-Equilibrium Surface Growth For Competitive Growth Models And Applications To Conservative Parallel Discrete Event Simulations, Poonam Santosh Verma Dec 2007

Non-Equilibrium Surface Growth For Competitive Growth Models And Applications To Conservative Parallel Discrete Event Simulations, Poonam Santosh Verma

Theses and Dissertations

Non-equilibrium surface growth for competitive growth models in (1+1) dimensions, particularly mixing random deposition (RD) with correlated growth process which occur with probability $p$ are studied. The composite mixtures are found to be in the universality class of the correlated growth process, and a nonuniversal exponent $\delta$ is identified in the scaling in $p$. The only effects of the RD admixture are dilations of the time and height scales which result in a slowdown of the dynamics of building up the correlations. The bulk morphology is taken into account and is reflected in the surface roughening, as well as the …


Socioeconomic Development In The Southeast Region Of The United States From 1995 - 2000: A Structural Equation Modeling And A Gis Modeling Approach, Erdenechimeg Eldev-Ochir Dec 2007

Socioeconomic Development In The Southeast Region Of The United States From 1995 - 2000: A Structural Equation Modeling And A Gis Modeling Approach, Erdenechimeg Eldev-Ochir

Theses and Dissertations

This research presented in this study demonstrates that county level population growth, economic growth, and localized social structure are interrelated. An analysis of the spatial distribution of these factors in the Southeast Region of the United States during the period of 1995-2000 also indicates the importance of differences in rural versus urban and coastal versus non-coastal areas as well as the importance of such factors as highways, large cities, and universities in economic, population, and social structure interrelationships. An extensive dataset is used in the analysis as a number of analysis tools including statistical analysis, econometric models, spatial econometric models, …


Students' Perceptions Of College Technology Programs And Acquired Technology Skills, Ling Ling Yen Dec 2007

Students' Perceptions Of College Technology Programs And Acquired Technology Skills, Ling Ling Yen

Theses and Dissertations

Students, the nation’s potential workforce, must acquire the needed entry-level technology skills demanded in the work environment. Business leaders question whether students are graduating from technology programs with appropriate and adequate technology skills. The purpose of this study was to determine how two-year and four-year college students assess their college technology programs and how they perceive the adequacy of the technology skills they had acquired in meeting workplace needs. A secondary purpose was to determine if differences existed based on demographic characteristics of participants. A survey research design was used in this study. The survey instrument consisted of three sections: …


Watermarking With Wavelet Transforms, Kristen Michelle Parker Dec 2007

Watermarking With Wavelet Transforms, Kristen Michelle Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Digital watermarking algorithms based on wavelet transforms provide increased performance and perceptual quality. This thesis proposes two wavelet-based schemes: one robust and one fragile. Robust watermarks should withstand attacks, such as compression, while maintaining the data integrity. The first approach presented is an algorithm which implements image watermarking in the domain of an overcomplete, or redundant, wavelet transform. Alternately, fragile watermarks are intended for use in applications wherein any loss of image quality is not acceptable. In the second approach presented, data embedding in the domain of an integer wavelet transform is considered. An algorithm is proposed that uses a …


"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda Dec 2007

"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores male nurses’ negotiation of masculine gender identities in the nontraditional work of registered nursing. Few registered nurses in the United States are men, and men leave the profession within the first four years after graduation at twice the rate of women. This study builds on previous work by seeking to understand why male nursing graduates of an institution formerly for women only, made the decision to become nurses, how they decided to attend a women’s college over a more gender balanced campus experience, and in what ways they negotiate gender identities in the configuration of nursing …


Physiologically-Based Toxicokinetic And Toxicodynamic (Pbtk/Td) Modeling Of A Ternary Organophosphorus Insecticide Mixture In Rats: Model Development And Validation, Julian Thomas Pittman Dec 2007

Physiologically-Based Toxicokinetic And Toxicodynamic (Pbtk/Td) Modeling Of A Ternary Organophosphorus Insecticide Mixture In Rats: Model Development And Validation, Julian Thomas Pittman

Theses and Dissertations

A physiologically-based toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic (PBTK/TD) model was developed, from the open literature, to predict the toxicokinetic disposition and toxicodynamic response (acetylcholinesterase inhibition) of a ternary organophosphorus (OP) insecticide mixture: chlorpyrifos (CP), methyl parathion (MP) and parathion (P). In vivo studies were conducted in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, orally administered one of two CP/MP/P mixtures (2.5, 0.5, 0.5 mg/kg or 5, 1, 1 mg/kg) with selected tissues (blood, brain, diaphragm, liver, lung and skeletal muscle) collected at 30min, 4, 12 and 24hr postdosing. Low dosages were studied so the mixture did not result in significant disruption of cardiovascular function nor …


Selection For Reduced Seed Dormancy In Seven Native Grass Species, Kyle Bradley Holmberg Dec 2007

Selection For Reduced Seed Dormancy In Seven Native Grass Species, Kyle Bradley Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

Lowland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), upland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), beaked panicum (Panicum capillare), and purpletop (Tridens flavus) all show strong signs of seed dormancy which contributes to extremely poor field establishment. The objective of this work was to reduce seed dormancy by selecting individuals that exhibited reduced pre-stratification dormancy in laboratory tests. The classical breeding method of phenotypic recurrent selection was used to enhance germination. Of the three tall-stature species, lowland switchgrass made the greatest improvement in pre-stratification germination, followed by indiangrass and big bluestem. The four short stature species …


Quantitative Genetic Analysis For Flowering Time In Primitive Upland Cotton, Gossypium Hirsutum L., And Chromosome Assignment Of Bac-Derived Ssr Markers, Yufang Guo Dec 2007

Quantitative Genetic Analysis For Flowering Time In Primitive Upland Cotton, Gossypium Hirsutum L., And Chromosome Assignment Of Bac-Derived Ssr Markers, Yufang Guo

Theses and Dissertations

Cotton is a very important economical crop in the U.S. and throughout the world. The developments in molecular biology offer new and innovative approaches toward evaluating and understanding genetic mechanisms of important agronomical traits. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries have rapidly become the preferred choice for physical mapping. BAC-derived microsatellite or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers facilitate the integration of physical and genetic recombination maps. The first objective in this research was to identify chromosome locations of a set of BAC-derived SSR markers in tetraploid cotton. A total of 192 SSR primer pairs were derived from BAC clones of an …


Microstructure-Property Relations Throughout The Powder Metallurgy Process, Laura Arias Tucker Dec 2007

Microstructure-Property Relations Throughout The Powder Metallurgy Process, Laura Arias Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

To produce crack free powder compacts with desirable mechanical properties and uniform densities, a predictive finite element simulation of the powder metallurgy process is necessary (compaction and sintering). The finite element method, through the use of appropriate constitutive material models captures the microstructure-property history after compaction and sintering. A FC-0205 cylinder and FC-0208 automotive main bearing cap were compacted to investigate the microstructure changes at different locations within the parts. Measurements of the pore volume fraction, pore size, pore nearest neighbor, pore aspect ratio, and grain size were performed after compaction for the cylinder after compaction and after compaction and …


Micro-Structural Response Of Dp 600 To High Strain Rate Deformation, Brian Fredrick Hamburg Dec 2007

Micro-Structural Response Of Dp 600 To High Strain Rate Deformation, Brian Fredrick Hamburg

Theses and Dissertations

The object of this study was to investigate the micro-structural response of DP 600 subjected to high strain rate, ballistic impact tests. The ballistic tests were conducted using normal impact of a hardened steel penetrator into a 2 mm thick sheet of DP 600. The average strain rates produced from this test method are on the order of 10^5 s-1. Multiple methods were used to investigate the micro-structure before and after high strain rate deformation including optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. A large variation in material response was observed between tests conducted at 0.8 x 10^5 and 2.5 …


Treatment Acceptabilty Of Teachers Of Adolescents By Level Of Intervention Intrusiveness And Type Of Disorder, Sarah E. Graves Dec 2007

Treatment Acceptabilty Of Teachers Of Adolescents By Level Of Intervention Intrusiveness And Type Of Disorder, Sarah E. Graves

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the treatment acceptability ratings of teachers of adolescents on three different types of commonly used interventions: (a) positive verbal praise, (b) token economy with response cost and extinction, and (c) psychotropic medication. Ratings of treatment acceptability were also assessed according to type of disorder (i.e., externalizing or internalizing). The participants were 101 teachers of adolescents recruited from a midwestern public school district. Participants were asked to read two case studies presented in a counterbalanced format. One case study focused on a youth who displayed symptoms related to an internalizing disorder (Major …


Occurrence Of Diseases And Insect Pests In Select Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.) And Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench) Rotations In Mississippi, Sergio Tomas Pichardo Dec 2007

Occurrence Of Diseases And Insect Pests In Select Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.) And Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench) Rotations In Mississippi, Sergio Tomas Pichardo

Theses and Dissertations

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted during 2004 through 2006 at the Rodney R. Foil Plant Science Research Center, Starkville, MS. Six sorghum and soybean rotation treatments were tested to determine their effect on plant pathogen, insect, and nematode diversity and density levels. Treatments included 1) continuous sorghum, 2) continuous soybean, 3) sorghum-soybean-sorghum rotation, 4) soybean-sorghum-soybean rotation, 5) sorghum-soybean-soybean rotation, and 6) soybean-sorghum-sorghum rotation. Several nematode and insect species were identified during the study, but were always below economic thresholds. Six insect species were identified on soybean during each growing season and used as the indicator species for this study. …


Hydrodynamic Modeling Of Impact Craters In Ice, Jesse Andrew Sherburn Dec 2007

Hydrodynamic Modeling Of Impact Craters In Ice, Jesse Andrew Sherburn

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, impact craters in water ice are modeled using the hydrodynamic code CTH. In order to capture impact craters in ice an equation of state and a material model are created and validated. The validation of the material model required simulating the Split Pressure Hopkinson Bar (SPHB) experimental apparatus. The SPHB simulation was first compared to experiments completed on Al 6061-T6, then the ice material model was validated. After validation, the cratering simulations modeled known experiments found in the literature. The cratering simulations captured the bulk physical aspects of the experimental craters, and the differences are described. Analysis …


Postsecondary Transitions Of Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians Tribal Scholarship Program Students, Gregory A. Carlyle Dec 2007

Postsecondary Transitions Of Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians Tribal Scholarship Program Students, Gregory A. Carlyle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the postsecondary education transition experiences of graduates of Choctaw Central High School (CCHS) who received support from the Tribal Scholarship Program (TSP) to better understand the barriers to successful postsecondary completion and the means to overcoming those barriers. Successful transitions are key for students to persist to academic completion. Studies show that American Indian students have low rates of college completion and experience a variety of factors attributed to withdrawal from college. This study provided insight into college success experienced by American Indian students and an understanding of the opportunities for a …


The Vehicle Routing Problem With Simultaneous Pick-Up And Deliveries And A Grasp-Ga Based Solution Heuristic, Arif Volkan Vural Dec 2007

The Vehicle Routing Problem With Simultaneous Pick-Up And Deliveries And A Grasp-Ga Based Solution Heuristic, Arif Volkan Vural

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the vehicle routing problem and one of its variants, the vehicle routing problem with simultaneous pick up and deliveries (VRPSPD) are studied. The traditional vehicle routing problem (VRP) consists of constructing minimum cost routes for the vehicles to follow so that the set of customers are visited only once. A lot of effort has been devoted to research on developing fast and effective solution methods for many different versions of this problem by different majors of engineering profession. Thus, a structuring effort is needed to organize and document the vast literature so far has accumulated in this …


A Dual-Agent Approach For Securing Routing Protocols, Brian Lee Gaines Dec 2007

A Dual-Agent Approach For Securing Routing Protocols, Brian Lee Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

Ad hoc routing inherently serves two separate and conflicting divisions of interest: the needs of the user or individual and the needs of the network or community. These interests should be secured differently. The proposed research is a dual-agent approach for securing ad hoc routing protocols. This approach assumes a physical division of tasks into user agent tasks and tasks performed by a trustworthy network agent. The research, motivated by the need to reduce the tasks of the network agent, investigates strategies for an optimal division of labor while promoting the faithful execution of the routing protocol. This investigation employs …


Agronomic Performance And Beef Cattle Grazing Preference Among Three Prairie Bromegrasses, Allen Stewart Hubbard Dec 2007

Agronomic Performance And Beef Cattle Grazing Preference Among Three Prairie Bromegrasses, Allen Stewart Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

Prairie bromegrass is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass with potential as a valuable forage crop in the southeastern USA. The objective of this study was to compare dry matter production, persistence, nutritive value, and beef cattle grazing preference of two experimental lines and a commercial species (cv. Matua) of prairie bromegrass. Plots were established in a randomized complete block design with four replications. When each plot accumulated at least 20 cm of growth, plots were grazed with Hereford x Angus steers at a stocking rate of 8400 kg/ha until the first plot was grazed down to 7 cm in height. Pre- …


Integrated Management Techniques Used For Cogongrass Control, Zackary B. Chesser Dec 2007

Integrated Management Techniques Used For Cogongrass Control, Zackary B. Chesser

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive weeds are becoming a greater problem throughout the southeastern United States, which calls for drastic means of location, classification, and management in order to halt these undesirable invasions. Three experiments were initiated in 2005 and 2006, two of which were to examine the effects of additives, NIS, Dyne-a-Pak, AMS, and Valor used in cogongrass [Imperata cylindrica L. Beauve] control and the other to evaluate the effectiveness of a ropewick applicator applied to established cogongrass in juvenile longleaf pine stands. Through these experiments, it was found that Dyne-a-Pak can provide greater enhancement in cogongrass control compared to non ionic surfactant, …


Knowledge, Efforts, And Associated Expenses Of Complying With Stormwater Phase Ii Regulations By Community Leaders In Small Municipal Storm Sewer Systems (Ms4s) Of Mississippi, Britt Adam Hubbard Dec 2007

Knowledge, Efforts, And Associated Expenses Of Complying With Stormwater Phase Ii Regulations By Community Leaders In Small Municipal Storm Sewer Systems (Ms4s) Of Mississippi, Britt Adam Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

In March 2003, many communities in Mississippi fell under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations and were required to develop Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs). This study surveyed those in charge of SWPPPs in Mississippi’s regulated communities to determine the knowledge, efforts, and associated expenses, of complying with Stormwater Phase II regulations as well as what attempts regulated communities made to include urban forestry in their SWPPPs. While results indicated that all respondents were compliant with Stormwater Phase II regulations, regulated communities can improve efforts in several areas to best mitigate stormwater runoff pollution (e.g., public education and urban …


Level Of Involvement Among Mississippi Community College Workforce Personnel In Community And Economic Development Activities, James L. Haffey Dec 2007

Level Of Involvement Among Mississippi Community College Workforce Personnel In Community And Economic Development Activities, James L. Haffey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to find out if there is a significant amount of involvement among workforce personnel and to try to identify the types of activities that were most prevalent. The study attempted to gauge community and economic development involvement by surveying participation in a variety of programs. The following organizations were studied: The State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, The Mississippi Manufacturers Association, The Mississippi Entrepreneurial Alliance, The Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi, The Society for Human Resource Managers. Over two dozen other organizations were also included in a survey along with data from the …


Video Coding With 3d Wavelet Transforms, Joseph Bradley Boettcher Dec 2007

Video Coding With 3d Wavelet Transforms, Joseph Bradley Boettcher

Theses and Dissertations

Video coding systems based on 3D wavelet transforms offer several advantages over traditional hybrid video coders. This thesis proposes two 3D wavelet-based video-coding approaches. In the first approach, motion compensation with redundant-wavelet multihypothesis, in which multiple predictions that are diverse in transform phase contribute to a single motion estimate, is deployed into the fully scalable MC-EZBC video coder. The bidirectional motion-compensated temporaliltering process of MC-EZBC is adapted to the redundant-wavelet domain, wherein transform redundancy is exploited to generate a phase-diverse multihypothesis prediction of the true temporal filtering. In the second approach, a video coder is proposed that does not perform …


Disease Management Strategies For Controlling Spring Dead Spot And Frequency Of Occurrence Of The Causal Organism Ophiosphaerella Korrae On 'Tifway' Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon X C. Transvaalensis), Hunter D. Perry Dec 2007

Disease Management Strategies For Controlling Spring Dead Spot And Frequency Of Occurrence Of The Causal Organism Ophiosphaerella Korrae On 'Tifway' Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon X C. Transvaalensis), Hunter D. Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Spring dead spot (SDS) is the most destructive disease of bermudagrass and its hybrids, affecting intensively managed bermudagrass turf that is at least three years old. This bermudagrass disease is most prevalent in the United States where winter temperatures become cold enough to induce dormancy. The symptoms of SDS appear as sunken, necrotic patches of turf ranging from several centimeters to greater than 0.5 m in diameter. Field studies were conducted at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, MS on a Tifway bermudagrass fairway beginning January of 2005 and concluding December of 2006 to determine the frequency and the …


Reconfiguration Of Shipboard Power Systems Using A Genetic Algorithm, Koteshwar Reddy Padamati Dec 2007

Reconfiguration Of Shipboard Power Systems Using A Genetic Algorithm, Koteshwar Reddy Padamati

Theses and Dissertations

The shipboard power system supplies energy to sophisticated systems for weapons, communications, navigation, and operation. After a fault is encountered, reconfiguration of a shipboard power system becomes a critical activity that is required to either restore service to a lost load or to meet some operational requirements of the ship. Reconfiguration refers to changing the topology of the power system in order to isolate system damage and/or optimize certain characteristics of the system related to power efficiency. When finding the optimal state, it is important to have a method that finds the desired state within a short amount of time, …


Relationships Between Volatile Flavor Compounds, Sensory Descriptors And Consumer Acceptability Of American Dry-Cured Ham, Alessandra Julian Pham-Mondala Dec 2007

Relationships Between Volatile Flavor Compounds, Sensory Descriptors And Consumer Acceptability Of American Dry-Cured Ham, Alessandra Julian Pham-Mondala

Theses and Dissertations

The relationships between volatile flavor compounds, sensory descriptors and consumer acceptability were determined for eight commercial American dry-cured hams using external preference and flavor mapping. The majority of consumers preferred (p<0.05) hams that had more intense caramelized, smoky, savory and molasses aromas as well as more intense sweet and savory flavors. Sixteen aroma impact compounds were identified from the headspace volatiles of dry-cured hams. The consumers with the highest acceptability scores preferred (p<0.05) hams that were characterized by 4-methyl-2-methoxyphenol (sweet ham), 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (sweet ham), 2-methoxyphenol (smoky, cocoa), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (smoky ham, savory) and 2uranmethanol (burnt meat, vitamin). Fourteen percent of consumers preferred (p<0.05) two hams that were characterized by methional (baked potato). Consumer acceptability scores were lower for hams either characterized by methanethiol (sulfur), carbon disulfide (sulfur), 2-butanone (sweet), 3-methylbutanal (malty, fermented), 2-heptanone (burnt meat, vitamin), hexanal (cut grass), benzeneacetaldehyde (floral), 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom) or characterized by benzaldehyde (burnt meat, cooked meat) and limonene (citrus).


Enhancing Reading Comprehension Rates: Comparing Following Along And Not Following Along During Listening-While-Reading Interventions In Middle School And Junior High School Students With Disabilities, Constance Elizabeth Mcdaniel Hoskyn Dec 2007

Enhancing Reading Comprehension Rates: Comparing Following Along And Not Following Along During Listening-While-Reading Interventions In Middle School And Junior High School Students With Disabilities, Constance Elizabeth Mcdaniel Hoskyn

Theses and Dissertations

A multielement brief experimental analysis was used to improve and extend previous research to compare the impact of listening while reading while following along (LWFA) and listening while reading while not following along (LWNFA) interventions on oral reading comprehension rate (ORCR), reading comprehension levels, and reading fluency in students with reading disabilities. The collected data for each of the eight middle school and junior high special education students who were participants in this study included: (a) words read correct per minute (WPM), (b) errors per minute (EPM), (c) comprehension questions answered correct per passage, and (d) ORCR. The students ranged …


A Taxonomy Based Assessment Methodology For Small And Medium Size Manufacturers, Clayton Thomas Walden Dec 2007

A Taxonomy Based Assessment Methodology For Small And Medium Size Manufacturers, Clayton Thomas Walden

Theses and Dissertations

The need for small and medium size manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) to have access to unbiased advice on best practices and related improvement approaches has been well established. However, this need was not found addressed very effectively in the research literature. Current practice is consultants peddling assessment tools which have the veneer of objectivity, but in reality only highlight the need to purchase their canned solutions. In response, this research attempts to synthesize previous research results and other published assessment methodologies into a taxonomy based assessment methodology (TBAM) which targets the delivery of focused recommendations which target improved performance of the …


Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham Dec 2007

Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that most influence African Americans to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1890 and 1862 Land Grant universities. This study used a quantitative approach in researching the problem of identifying the factors that led minorities to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. A survey instrument was designed which collected the factors, demographics, and attitudes that influenced minority enrollment in agricultural sciences at 1890 and 1862 universities. The setting for the data collection in this study is 1890 and 1862 land grant universities in the southern …


Full Scale Instrumented Testing And Analysis Of Matting Systems For Airfield Parking Ramps And Taxiways, Chad A. Gartrell Dec 2007

Full Scale Instrumented Testing And Analysis Of Matting Systems For Airfield Parking Ramps And Taxiways, Chad A. Gartrell

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. military requires the ability to rapidly deploy troops, equipment, and materials anywhere in the world. Recent operations have brought attention to the need to utilize austere, unsurfaced, and sometimes sub-standard airfields within a theater of interest. These airfields may require additional taxiways and aprons. One option for the rapid construction of such is airfield matting systems. The focus of the work for this thesis was commercially available airfield matting systems to support large military transport aircraft, such as the C 17. Several test sections with differing strength soils were built with chosen mats tested in an elimination method, …


Development Of Fuel And Valueded Chemicals From Pyrolysis Of Wood/Waste Plastic Mixture, Priyanka Bhattacharya Dec 2007

Development Of Fuel And Valueded Chemicals From Pyrolysis Of Wood/Waste Plastic Mixture, Priyanka Bhattacharya

Theses and Dissertations

Highly oxygenated compounds in bio-oil produce negative properties that have hampered fuel development. Copyrolysis with plastics has increased hydrogen content in past research. Py-GC/MS analyses for two wood types (pine and oak) and three plastic types (polystyrene, polypropylene and high density polyethylene) established temperature, heating rate and residence time to produce a typical bio-oil. Analysis of various plastics to wood ratios by Py-GC/MS showed that a 50:50 wt/wt ratio produced the highest level of low molecular weight compounds best for fuel viscosity. Copyrolysis was performed on a laboratory-scale reactor at these temperature and wood-to-plastic ratios. Copyrolysis lowered bio-oil oxygen content …