Digital Commons Network^™

Epon Communication Network Topology Planning Based On Node Importance Of Active Distribution Network, Yingqiao He

Theses and Dissertations

A large amount of DGs (distributed generations) and distributed resources accessing to distribution network is a characteristic of present distribution network. So the concept of the active distribution network is proposed, which is a new form of distribution network with flexible power network structure and active control and management with high permeability of DGs in the distribution network. According to the actual operation state of power system, active distribution network actively manages the massive distributed power supply and adaptively adjusts the network to satisfy the requirements of economy and security power supply.

This thesis aims to propose a feasible optimization …

A Real-Time Rolling Horizon Chance Constrained Optimization Model For Energy Hub Scheduling, Weilin Hou

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing consumption of energy, it is of high significance to improve energy efficiency and realize optimal operation of the multi-energy system. Among the many energy system modeling methods, the concept of “energy hub (EH)” is an emerging one. However, the previous EH models only included one or a few of constituting components.

The construction of an energy hub model that integrates energy storage systems, photovoltaic (PV) components, a combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system and electric vehicles (EVs) is explained in this thesis. The inclusion of the CCHP system helps to meet the energy demand and improve …

Measuring Deterministic And Stochastic Gravitational Waves With Pulsar Timing Array Experiments, Kristina Islo

Theses and Dissertations

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are uniquely poised to detect the nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves from supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) formed during galaxy merger. Efforts are underway to observe three species of gravitational signal from these systems: the stochastic ensemble, individual, adiabatic binary inspirals, and bursts with memory. This dissertation discusses all three.

A typical Bayesian search for evidence of a stochastic gravitational wave background from the superposition of many unresolvable SMBHB inspirals requires weeks to months to deliver results. This is due in part to the inclusion of inter-pulsar spatial and temporal correlations induced in PTA data by such a …

Internal Fault Diagnosis Of Mmc-Hvdc Based On Classification Algorithms In Machine Learning, Tianyi Jin

Theses and Dissertations

With the development of the HVDC system, MMC-HVDC is now the most advanced technology that has been put into use. In power systems, faults happen during the operation due to natural reasons or devices physical issues, which would cause serious economic losses and other implications. Thus, fault detection and analysis are extremely important, especially in the HVDC system. Existing works in literature mainly focus on the faults detection and analysis on the system side such as short circuit of the AC side, and open circuit of the DC side. However, little attention has been paid to the fault detection and …

Part I: Design And Synthesis Of Novel Drugs To Treat Asthma By Targeting Gabaa Receptors In The Lung Part Ii: Design And Synthesis Of Novel Α2/Α3 Subtype Selective Gabaar Ligands For Cns Disorders, Rajwana Jahan

Theses and Dissertations

Part I. Asthma is a major healthcare challenge affecting an estimated 300 million people globally. Over $56 billion in asthma-related healthcare expenses occur in the United States annually. Moreover, asthma accounts for the majority of missed school/work days, Doctor and emergency room visits, and patient hospitalizations in young persons. Consequently, asthma continues to be a significant healthcare burden in terms of morbidity, productivity, and medical costs. Beta 2-adrenergic agonists and inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) are the most commonly prescribed treatments for the acute and chronic management of asthma. Both agents present efficacy, compliance, and adverse side effect concerns.

Hence, there is …

A Transactive Energy Framework For Multi-Energy Management In Smart Community, Jun Lei

Theses and Dissertations

Most community systems with large commercial buildings have heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. In this case, EHs (energy hubs) can be formed in these communities in order to maximize the utilization of energy. The concept of energy hub was proposed to facilitate the synergies among different forms of energy carriers. Under the new electricity market environment, it is of great significance to build a win-win situation for prosumer and the hub manager at the community level without bringing extra burden to the utility grid. A set of economic and control mechanisms that allows the dynamic balance of supply and …

A Real-Time Approach To Process Monitoring Of Heavy Metals: Spectrophotometric Characterization And Application Of Novel Azo, Joseph Timothy Labeots

Theses and Dissertations

I will describe studies in developing an on-line system for process monitoring that is based upon spectrophotometric methods. Heavy metals that are discarded into the environment may pose severe threats to public health, and are thus heavily regulated. Currently, there is no reasonably affordable, reliable, real-time monitoring method for heavy metals in water. This lack of feedback for industrial applications often leads to wasted resources due to massive overtreatment to avoid costly penalties. Spectrophotometry is a viable analysis option assuming a suitable sensor molecule is available as seemingly conflicting requirements may occur. Characterization of the sensor is one of the …

Analysis Of Frp-Wrapped Concrete Piles In Integral Abutment Bridges Subjected To Axial And Cyclic Lateral Loads, Hassan Mohammed Magbool

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The long-term maintenance problems associated with expansion joints, which are used to accommodate bridge movements in conventional bridges, have been the primary motivation for the use of integral abutment (jointless) bridges. These bridges rely on the interaction between the structure and the surrounding soil to accommodate bridge movements without the use of any expansion joints on the bridge superstructure. As the bridge superstructure expands and contracts due to seasonal thermal and other strains, relatively large forces can develop in the pile near the pile-cap interface. These reversible moment and shear forces can lead to localized damage near the top …

The Assessment Of Technology Adoption Interventions And Outcome Achievement Related To The Use Of A Clinical Research Data Warehouse, Katie A. Mccarthy

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: While funding for research has declined since 2004, the need for rapid, innovative, and lifesaving clinical and translational research has never been greater due to the rise in chronic health conditions, which have resulted in lower life expectancy and higher rates of mortality and adverse outcomes. Finding effective diagnostic and treatment methods to address the complex challenges in individual and population health will require a team science approach, creating the need for multidisciplinary collaboration among practitioners and researchers.

To address this need, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program. The CTSA …

Development Of A Resonant High Power Charging Station For Fleet Vehicles, Robabeh Nasiri

Theses and Dissertations

C

onventional vehicles chargers are based on plugging the car battery using wire to the electricity grid through some conversion levels. In general, this system is an interface between the AC grid and the battery which requires DC voltages.

The focus of this research is on wireless power charging technology. The wireless configuration benefits the system by providing electric isolation between transmitter and receiver side, and by making the charging process more convenient for the users.

One major drawback of the wireless charging systems in compare to the conventional system is the lower efficiency of these systems. The resonant high …

Active Polymeric Materials For 3d Shaping And Sensing, Adebola Oyefusi

Theses and Dissertations

Part I: Reprogrammable Chemical 3D Shaping for Origami, Kirigami, and Reconfigurable Molding

Origami- and kirigami-based design principles have recently received strong interest from the scientific and engineering communities because they offer fresh approaches to engineering of structural hierarchy and adaptive functions in materials, which could lead to many promising applications. Herein, we present a reprogrammable 3D chemical shaping strategy for creating a wide variety of stable complex origami and kirigami structures autonomously. This strategy relies on a reverse patterning method that encodes prescribed 3D geometric information as a spatial pattern of the unlocked phase (dispersed phase) in the locked phase …

A Conceptual Modeling Framework For Hydrological Ecosystem Services And Its Application To The Impacts Of Climate Change And Urban Expansion, Feng Pan

Theses and Dissertations

Ecosystem services (ESs) are used as intermediates for researchers, stakeholders, and the public to understand and deal with the current environmental situation and problems, and ESs-related studies have drawn increasing attention. The quantitative assessments of ESs to calculate how much the ecosystem can benefit human beings and society, are still under development. Hydrological ESs, a subset of ESs that is related to water bodies and the surrounding environment, carry several challenges and opportunities for both hydrological and ESs modeling. Specifically, new quantitative tools with the capability to simulate explicit spatial and temporal scales are desired, and such tools should be …

Identifying And Incorporating Driver Behavior Variables Into Crash Prediction Models, Mohammad Razaur Rahman Shaon

Theses and Dissertations

All travelers are exposed to the risk for crashes on the road, as none of the roadways are entirely safe. Under Vision Zero, improving traffic safety on our nation’s highways is and will continue to be one of the most pivotal tasks on the national transportation agenda. For decades, researchers and transportation professionals have strived to identify causal relationships between crash occurrence and roadway geometry, and traffic-related variables on the mission of creating a safe environment for the traveling public. Although great achievements have been witnessed such as the publication of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM), research is rather limited …

Understanding The Link Between Chemotaxis And Biofilm Dispersion Systems In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Kayla Audenia Simanek

Theses and Dissertations

The opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa forms biofilms during chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, contributing to morbidity and mortality. Not only are biofilms antibiotic resistant but dispersal may release pathogenic bacteria throughout the body. Previous research discovered a novel interaction between DipA, a phosphodiesterase that promotes biofilm dispersal, and ParP, which localizes chemosensory clusters and has AIF (array integration and formation) domain homology to CheA and CheW of the chemotaxis system. This research was focused on further deciphering the role of ParP’s AIF domain in mediating the interactions between DipA and CheA by using a bacterial two hybrid system. …

Predicting Hospital Length Of Stay In Intensive Care Unit, Namita Singh

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we investigate the performance of a series of classification methods for the

Prediction of the hospital Length of Stay (LoS) in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Predicting

LOS for an inpatient in an hospital is a challenging task but is essential for the operational

success of a hospital. Since hospitals are faced with severely limited resources including

beds to hold admitted patients, prediction of LoS will assist the hospital staff for better

planning and management of hospital resources. The goal of this project is to create a

machine learning model that predicts the length-of stay for each patient …

Integration Of Preventive And Emergency Responses To Boost Distribution System Resilience, Gang Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen a series of large-scale blackouts due to extreme weather events around the world. These high impact, lower probability events have caused great economic losses to modern society. Therefore, it is urgent to study the resilience improvement measures of power systems to mitigate the effects of adverse extreme events. Current research mainly focuses on the hardening measures where robust optimization is used to solve the problems. However, due to the consideration of worst case of uncertain parameters, the robust optimization method is usually too conservative and uneconomical in many situations.

In this thesis, operational measures are deployed …

Part I: An Investigation Of Calcitroic Acid And Its Phase Ii Conjugates. Part Ii: Toward The Development Of A Novel Orally-Available Asthma Treatment Targeting Gabaa Receptors In The Lungs, Olivia B. Yu

Theses and Dissertations

PART I

Calcitroic acid (CTA) was isolated and characterized more than four decades ago.5 Radiolabeled calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) was used at that time to enable the identification of radioactive CTA formed in vivo, which was subsequently extracted and characterized by derivatization.7 CTA was found to be predominantly formed in the liver and secreted into the gut through the bile duct via enterohepatic circulation, leading to fairly high concentrations of this metabolite of vitamin D in the intestine.8 However, assuming it was only a catabolic product of calcitriol, it was ignored thereafter.

Recently, novel experiments showed that CTA can bind the …

Deep Learning Applications In Medical Image And Shape Analysis, Jingtao Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning is one of the most rapidly growing fields in computer and data science in the past few years. It has been widely used for feature extraction and recognition in various applications. The training process as a black-box utilizes deep neural networks, whose parameters are adjusted by minimizing the difference between the predicted feedback and labeled data (so-called training dataset). The trained model is then applied to unknown inputs to predict the results that mimic human's decision-making. This technology has found tremendous success in many fields involving data analysis such as images, shapes, texts, audio and video signals and …

Novel Non-Invasive Technology For The Detection Of Thin Biofilm In Piping Systems (Phase - 1), Sachin Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms are formed when a group of cells of microorganisms stick to each other and often on a surface. The development of biofilm has been a major issue in many fields (medical field, food, chemical, and water industry are a few such fields). In the medical field alone, biofilm infections have reportedly cost over five billion USD in additional healthcare expenses. The food industry usually halts the operation of its plant eight hours, every day to ensure that their equipment and transportation channels are clean and free from any biofilm presence. Similarly, the water and chemical industry need to ensure …

Transit-Oriented Development And The Implications For Equitable Development: A Case Study Of The Milwaukee Streetcar, Joshua Diciaula

Theses and Dissertations

Many cities across the US have reintroduced the streetcar as an economic development tool, or as an image-branding and tourism-promoting amenity, while public transportation benefits are largely afterthoughts. The purpose of this research is to investigate the Milwaukee Streetcar as a transit-oriented development strategy, the distribution of benefits and burdens, and its implications for equitable development. Guided by semi-structured interviews and content/discourse analysis of planning/policy documents through an equity lens, this study analyzed Milwaukee’s initial downtown streetcar routes against the potential extension lines into the more transit-dependent communities of Bronzeville and Walker’s Point. The findings suggest that the initial routes …

A Real-Time Rolling Horizon Chance Constrained Optimization Model For Energy Hub Scheduling, Weilin Hou

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing consumption of energy, it is of high significance to improve energy efficiency and realize optimal operation of the multi-energy system. Among the many energy system modeling methods, the concept of “energy hub (EH)” is an emerging one. However, the previous EH models only included one or a few of constituting components.

The construction of an energy hub model that integrates energy storage systems, photovoltaic (PV) components, a combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system and electric vehicles (EVs) is explained in this thesis. The inclusion of the CCHP system helps to meet the energy demand and improve …

Green Energy At Any Cost: How Ethanol Producer Magazine Uses Science To Frame Ethanol Production, Ashley Kappers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the use of science by media to shape discussions about policy in society. Specifically, it investigates how one influential trade publication, Ethanol Producer Magazine, used science in its construction of pro-ethanol production stories. This study is a multi-method analysis of Ethanol Producer Magazine’s feature articles. To determine how sources and writers use science to frame ethanol production during policy changes in the industry, 36 feature stories from four issues in 2009 and 2010 of Ethanol Producer Magazine were analyzed. The results of this study found that Ethanol Producer Magazine is a publication that presents one side of …

Domestic Space In The Times Of Change: The Collapse Of The Ussr, 1985-2000s, Kateryna L. Malaia

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the ways urban domestic spaces transformed under the pressure of social upheaval related to the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The collapse of the Soviet Union has been examined from a standpoint of spatial changes, but existing studies are limited to public spaces and city-scale transformations. In other words, the collapse of the USSR remains a virtually uninvestigated event from the perspective of ordinary places integral for the study of social change in everyday life, such as apartment homes, courtyards, and residential streets. Between the late 1980s and 2000s, an unprecedented remodeling and home improvement boom …

A Hierarchical, Fuzzy Inference Approach To Data Filtration And Feature Prioritization In The Connected Manufacturing Enterprise, Phillip Matthew Lacasse

Theses and Dissertations

The current big data landscape is one such that the technology and capability to capture and storage of data has preceded and outpaced the corresponding capability to analyze and interpret it. This has led naturally to the development of elegant and powerful algorithms for data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to harness the potential of the big data environment. A competing reality, however, is that limitations exist in how and to what extent human beings can process complex information. The convergence of these realities is a tension between the technical sophistication or elegance of a solution and its transparency …

Optical Fiber Communication With Vortex Modes, Du'a Al-Zaleq

Theses and Dissertations

Internet data traffic’s capacity is rapidly reaching limits imposed by optical fiber nonlinearities [5]. Optical vortices appear in high order fiber optical mode. In this thesis, we consider multimode fibers (MMFs) that are capable of transmitting a few vortex modes. Certain types of fibers have a spatial dimension leads to space-division-multiplexing (SDM), where information is transmitted with cores of multicore fibers (MCFs) or mode-division-multiplexing (MDM), where information is transmitted via different modes of multimode fibers (MMFs). SDM by employing few-mode fibers in optical networks is expected to efficiently enhance the capacity and overcome the capacity crunch owing to fast increasing …