Digital Commons Network^™

Thermal And Structural Modeling Of Electrochromics On Glass, Mahesh B. Manandhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advanced glazing is a type of window glazing that interacts with the surrounding environment to change its thermal and optical properties to create a more comfortable and energy efficient indoor environment. Electrochromics are one type of such advanced glazing materials that change their properties in response to an externally applied voltage controllable by the user or by automation.

The effectiveness of electrochromics depends upon how well it can keep off extreme temperature conditions from outdoors all year round as well as how structurally stable it can remain at such conditions. This research investigates the use of COMSOL, a finite element …

Comparison Of Different Methods For Estimating Log-Normal Means, Qi Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The log-normal distribution is a popular model in many areas, especially in biostatistics and survival analysis where the data tend to be right skewed. In our research, a total of ten different estimators of log-normal means are compared theoretically. Simulations are done using different values of parameters and sample size. As a result of comparison, ``A degree of freedom adjusted" maximum likelihood estimator and Bayesian estimator under quadratic loss are the best when using the mean square error (MSE) as a criterion. The ten estimators are applied to a real dataset, an environmental study from Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC), …

A Program Manager's Dilemma: Measuring The Effect On Performance Of Different Visual Modalities In Mixed Reality Aerial Door Gunnery, Jonathan Stevens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States Army continues to develop new and effective ways to use simulation for training. One example is the Non-Rated Crew Member Manned Module (NCM3), a simulator designed to train helicopter crewmembers in critical, high risk tasks such as crew coordination, flight, aerial gunnery, hoist and sling load related tasks. The goal of this study was to evaluate visual modalities' effect on performance in mixed reality aerial door gunnery. There is a strong belief in the United States Army that the greater the degree of immersion in a virtual simulation, the more effective that simulation is. However, little scientific …

Secondary World: The Limits Of Ludonarrative, David Dannelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Secondary World: The Limits of Ludonarrative is a series of short narrative animations that are a theoretical treatise on the limitations of western storytelling in video games. The series covers specific topics relating to film theory, game design and art theory: specifically those associated with Gilles Deleuze, Jean Baudrillard, Jay Bolter, Richard Grusin and Andy Clark. The use of imagery, editing and presentation is intended to physically represent an extension of myself and my thinking process and which are united through the common thread of my personal feelings, thoughts and experiences in the digital age.

Effect Of An Experiential Learning Model For Simulation Design On Clinical Nursing Judgment Development In Pre-Licensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Joyce Victor Chmil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Simulation is an experiential learning process used in nursing education to develop and evaluate competencies, including clinical judgment (Berragan, 2011; Jeffries, 2012), yet the effectiveness of simulation in nursing education is not sufficiently evaluated (Foronda, Liu, & Bauman, 2013) and simulation design is not adequately theory-based (Kaakinen & Arwood, 2009; Rourke, Schmidt, & Garga, 2010; Jeffries, 2012; Rodgers, 2013). In this study, Kolb's Model of Experiential Learning (Kolb, 1984; 1999) was employed to create an experiential learning simulation design. A quasi-experimental study was used to test the effects of this new design on clinical nursing judgment development and its relationship …

The Impact Of Structured Debriefing, Following Simulation, On Bsn Student Development Of Clinical Reasoning And Clinical Judgment Skills, Robin Weaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The necessity of appropriate clinical reasoning and clinical judgment skills is recognized as essential for the development of a competent practitioner. In response to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report which called for a re-evaluation of the educational processes used to prepare practitioners, nursing educators have embraced the use of simulation technology as an innovative approach to enhance student learning. Simulation has been recognized as a vehicle to support student development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become a competent practitioner. Recognized in the literature as the most essential element of simulation, debriefing practices vary throughout nursing education. Recently …

Driving Performance Adaptation Through Practice With And Without Distracters In A Simulated Environment, Marc Gentzler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A preponderance of research points to the detrimental effects of distraction on driving performance. An interesting question is whether practice can improve distracted driving. The results from the few longitudinal simulator-based research studies conducted on driving distraction have been inconclusive. This may be because practice effects could be confounded with participants adapting to driving in the simulator. Therefore, participants in the current studies were trained until performance reached a steady state prior to introducing the distracters. In this dissertation, two single-subject design studies were used to investigate the effects of training on distracted driving. The first study included two participants …

The Design And Evaluation Of A Video Game To Help Train Perspective-Taking And Empathy In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Darin Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a serious game intended to reinforce applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques used with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing a low cost and easily accessible supplement to traditional methods. Past and recent research strongly supports the use of computer assisted instruction in the education of individuals with ASD (Moore & Calvert, 2000; Noor, Shahbodin, & Pee, 2012). Computer games have been shown to boost confidence and provide calming mechanisms (Griffiths, 2003) while being a safe environment for social exploration and learning (Moore, Cheng, McGrath, & Powell, 2005). Games increase …

Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Charts For Monitoring The Process Generalized Variance, Anna Khamitova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The exponentially weighted moving average chart based on the sample generalized variance is studied under the independent multivariate normal model for the vector of quality measurements. The performance of the chart is based on an analysis of the chart's initial and steady-state run length distributions. The three methods that are commonly used to determinate run length distribution, simulation, the integral equation method, and the Markov chain approximation are discussed. The integral equation and Markov chain approaches are analytical methods that require a nu- merical method for determining the probability density and cumulative distribution functions describing the distribution of the sample …

A Virtual Shaker Table For Predicting Loads In Automotive Powertrain Mounts, Xiaowu Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the automotive industry, multi-axis shaker tables are often used to study the damage caused by motion-induced inertia loads to components such as engine mounts or fuel tank strips. To assess the component durability characteristics using this approach, prototype parts must be built and a test rig must be installed. This process is both time and budget consuming, so there is an incentive to reduce the number of physical shaking tests. To that end, this thesis introduces a set of software tools that are capable of conducting virtual shaking simulations with quality output results, i.e., a virtual multi-axial shaker table …

Crankcase Pressure Control In An Internal Combustion Engine: Gt-Power Simulation, Marco Fogliarino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The crankcase ventilation system is a very important part of the internal combustion engine but not so much attention is usually paid on what happens in the crankcase. A lot of information is available on what happens in the combustion chamber but not so many papers have been published related to the crankcase ventilation. Actually, efficiency improvements can be obtained with an optimization of the crankcase ventilation system and so fuel can be saved and the overall emissions of carbon dioxide reduced. The present is a thesis describing the work done by the author in his internship with Chrysler LLC …

Impact On New Aerodynamic Solutions For The Front-End On The Engine Bay Thermal Performance, Federico De Medio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the impact of an innovative aerodynamic solution for the front-end of a vehicle on the engine bay thermal performance. Starting from a production series automobile, an alternative aerodynamic configuration was studied, with the aim of improving the overall aerodynamic behavior without excessively penalizing the thermal aspect, and by keeping into account all the involved constraints. The aero-thermal performances were evaluated through a co-simulation approach which exploits a CFD and a thermal computational solver. The main driver for this research was the increasing demand for fuel efficient vehicles. Nowadays, in order to comply with more and more severe …