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Simulation

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The Advancement Of Experimental And Computation Tools For The Study Of Molten Salt Chemistry To Facilitate The Extraction Of Strategic Elements In Nuclear Applications, Michael Stoddard Apr 2024

The Advancement Of Experimental And Computation Tools For The Study Of Molten Salt Chemistry To Facilitate The Extraction Of Strategic Elements In Nuclear Applications, Michael Stoddard

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear energy presents environmental benefits, yet the challenge of radioactive waste management persists. Advanced solutions, such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), require a more profound understanding of molten salt chemistry. This research aims to develop tools, including a depletion simulator, molten salt electrochemical simulator, and a fluoride-based thermodynamic reference electrode for electrochemical purification. The computationally inexpensive depletion simulator allows for exploration into extraction and processing strategies for molten salt reactors. An illustrative case study on Mo-99 production from MSRs demonstrates the practical application of the theoretical framework, emphasizing the need for optimization in extraction effectiveness and separation difficulty. The electrochemical …


The Integration Of Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education Into Undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science Curriculum, Dana Powell Baker Oct 2023

The Integration Of Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education Into Undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science Curriculum, Dana Powell Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study aimed to integrate simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (Sim-IPE) into the undergraduate clinical laboratory science (CLS) program curriculum. The undergraduate CLS curriculum was comprised of didactic coursework and hands-on learning experiences in the student laboratory. This traditional CLS curriculum model was uniprofessional in its design and educated students in silos rather than on interprofessional teams with other health professions students. Lack of collaboration on healthcare teams has led to increased medical errors and decreased patient safety in clinical settings. Recent studies have indicated that effective communication and teamwork among healthcare professionals has led to improved patient outcomes and …


Nonparametric Tests Of Interaction For The Two-Way Design With Skewed Distributions, Michael Ethan Hornsby Brown Oct 2023

Nonparametric Tests Of Interaction For The Two-Way Design With Skewed Distributions, Michael Ethan Hornsby Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The most common parametric procedure used to test main and interaction effects in the two- or more-groups factorial design is the analysis of variance (ANOVA) F test. Researchers in the behavioral and social sciences fields require statistical methods that are robust in the presence of deviations from the common parametric ANOVA assumptions of (a) normality, (b) homogeneity of variances among groups, and (c) independence of observations. When there is concern that the parametric assumptions are violated, nonparametric procedures can be employed that do not make as many initial assumptions about the parent populations. Of particular interest in the two-factor design …


Strengthening Teacher Efficacy: An Improvement Science Journey To Support Teachers Post Covid-19 School Closures, Ada Odet Sindab Oct 2023

Strengthening Teacher Efficacy: An Improvement Science Journey To Support Teachers Post Covid-19 School Closures, Ada Odet Sindab

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the findings of a qualitative improvement science study aimed at identifying an effective professional development structure to enhance teacher efficacy in the context of post-COVID-19 education. The study's approach was guided by a systematic exploration of the problem, facilitated by a driver diagram, which led to the identification of three potential change ideas. Among these ideas, the second change, involving the design of a school master schedule with dedicated time for teacher planning, emerged as the initial step towards achieving the research goal. To operationalize this change, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were employed iteratively to develop a tailored …


Resources Based Planning Framework For Infrastructure Maintenance And Rehabilitation Projects, Heba Gad Jun 2023

Resources Based Planning Framework For Infrastructure Maintenance And Rehabilitation Projects, Heba Gad

Theses and Dissertations

Infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation projects involve activities scattered over a large geographical area (e.g., scattered road segments maintenance, telecom towers maintenance program, etc.). Planning such projects require a resource-based approach that accounts for the implications of resource mobility between activities’ locations in terms of time & cost. Existing scheduling techniques fall short of addressing the unique challenges of the scattered nature of these projects in combination with organization's limited resources availability. To address this need, this research presents a resources-based planning framework for infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation scattered projects with the objective of enhancing resources utilization achieving time and cost …


Formation Control Of Multiple Quadrotors, Miguel Alejandro Garcia May 2023

Formation Control Of Multiple Quadrotors, Miguel Alejandro Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies formation control of multiple quadrotors under different conditions. Two controller design approaches are proposed. In the first approach, it is assumed that the dynamics of each quadrotor is unknown and there is disturbance. With the aid of distributed estimation and the universal approximation property of neural networks, distributed tracking controllers are proposed. Simulation shows the effectiveness of the proposed controllers. In the second approach, it is assumed that the inertia parameters are unknown. With the aid of distributed estimation, online data estimation, and optimal control theory, distributed sub-optimal tracking controllers are proposed. Simulation results show the effectiveness …


Quantized State Simulation Of Electrical Power Systems, Joseph Micah Hood Apr 2023

Quantized State Simulation Of Electrical Power Systems, Joseph Micah Hood

Theses and Dissertations

An alternative is proposed to the current state-of-the-art simulation methods for the transient simulation of electrical power systems. The proposed method combines the Latency Insertion Method (LIM), the Quantized Discrete Event Specification (QDEVS), and the Quantized State System (QSS) method of integration. Using LIM, the power system state equations are decoupled in a way that allows the formulation of the system into a QDEVS-compliant model, which can then be directly solved with various QSS integration techniques. This combination of methods is called the Quantized DEVS-LIM method, or simply, QDL. A key feature of QDL is the asynchronous updates of all …


Developing An Accurate Simulation Model For Predicting Friction Stir Welding Processes In 2219 Aluminum Alloy, Kennen Brooks Dec 2022

Developing An Accurate Simulation Model For Predicting Friction Stir Welding Processes In 2219 Aluminum Alloy, Kennen Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

Modeling of friction stir welding (FSW) is challenging, as there are large gradients in both strain rate and temperature that must be accounted for in the constitutive law of the material being joined. Constitutive laws are most often calibrated using flow stresses from hot compression or hot torsion testing, where strain rates are much lower than those of the FSW process. As such, the current work employed a recently developed method to measure flow stresses in AA 2219-T67 at the high strain rates typical of FSW. These data were used in the development of a finite element simulation of FSW …


Assessment Of Simulated And Real-World Autonomy Performance With Small-Scale Unmanned Ground Vehicles, William Peyton Johnson Dec 2022

Assessment Of Simulated And Real-World Autonomy Performance With Small-Scale Unmanned Ground Vehicles, William Peyton Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Off-road autonomy is a challenging topic that requires robust systems to both understand and navigate complex environments. While on-road autonomy has seen a major expansion in recent years in the consumer space, off-road systems are mostly relegated to niche applications. However, these applications can provide safety and navigation to dangerous areas that are the most suited for autonomy tasks. Traversability analysis is at the core of many of the algorithms employed in these topics. In this thesis, a Clearpath Robotics Jackal vehicle is equipped with a 3D Ouster laser scanner to define and traverse off-road environments. The Mississippi State University …


Design And Evaluation Of Miniaturized Ion Trap Mass Analyzers Using Simulation, Radhya Weligama Gamage Oct 2022

Design And Evaluation Of Miniaturized Ion Trap Mass Analyzers Using Simulation, Radhya Weligama Gamage

Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry is a technique that analyzes the chemical compositions of compounds based on the mass-to-charge ratio of their ionized constituents. Miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometry finds application in a wide range of fields where portable, rugged, and reliable analytical instruments are required. Ion traps of various designs have been introduced over the past decades, each with their own unique advantages and capabilities. However, the process of developing a novel miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometer continues to be fraught with challenges. This dissertation discusses simulation studies pertaining to the development of a novel dual ion trap, the simplified coaxial ion …


Closed Form Implicitly Integrated Models For Computationally Efficient Simulation Of Power Electronics, Andrew Wunderlich Oct 2022

Closed Form Implicitly Integrated Models For Computationally Efficient Simulation Of Power Electronics, Andrew Wunderlich

Theses and Dissertations

This work describes novel closed-form, implicitly integrated (CF-implicit) models of switched-mode power converters which feature implicit integration but require no iterative numerical solving algorithm for evaluation because they are explicitly solved prior to model execution. The derived models capture the large-signal dynamic behavior of the power converters, so their use and accuracy are not limited to any one set of operating conditions. These models can be implemented in any computational environment, including directly on an existing embedded controller as a digital twin. Since no iterative solver is required, the models are highly computationally efficient and have a very predictable worst-case …


Simulation And Localization Of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Leveraging Lie Group Structure, Easton Robert Potokar Jul 2022

Simulation And Localization Of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Leveraging Lie Group Structure, Easton Robert Potokar

Theses and Dissertations

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have the potential to dramatically improve safety, quality of life and general scientific knowledge. Our coasts, lakes and rivers are filled with various forms of marine infrastructure including dams, bridges, ship hulls, communication lines, and oil rigs. Each of these structures requires regular inspection, and current methods utilize divers, which is dangerous, expensive, and time consuming. AUVs have the potential to alleviate these difficulties and enable more regular inspection of these structures. Furthermore, there are significant scientific discoveries in the fields of geology, marine biology and medicine that AUV exploration of our oceans will enable. Since …


A Decision Support Simulation To Analyze Scheduling Alternatives For Applicant Processing At Military Entrance Processing Stations (Meps), Jonathan M. Escamilla Mar 2022

A Decision Support Simulation To Analyze Scheduling Alternatives For Applicant Processing At Military Entrance Processing Stations (Meps), Jonathan M. Escamilla

Theses and Dissertations

Applicant processing at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) is conducted via a batch arrival process by which all applicants arrive at the beginning of the processing day. Pursuit of alternate processing scenarios has never progressed beyond the pilot stage, possibly because the Command lacks a general decision support model to evaluate the impacts of proposed policies on applicant processing operations. This research creates a discrete event simulation of MEPS applicant processing operations and applies the model to three alternative applicant processing scenarios: split-shift, appointment- based, and express-lane. Results are examined and compared to benchmarks using multiple performance measurements.


Evaluating The Military Medical Evacuation Dispatching And Delivery Problem Via Simulation And Self-Exciting Hawkes Process, Virbon B. Frial Mar 2022

Evaluating The Military Medical Evacuation Dispatching And Delivery Problem Via Simulation And Self-Exciting Hawkes Process, Virbon B. Frial

Theses and Dissertations

The location, allocation, and utilization of military medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) resources significantly impact the quality and timeliness of medical care to injured troops. In 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates introduced the Golden Hour mandate that entails the evacuation of critically-injured troops to military treatment facilities (MTFs) within an hour to prevent further complications. To develop high-quality policies that improve MEDEVAC system performance, several papers in the current literature assume that MTFs have both the capacity and capability of treating any patient, regardless of the type of injury. However, these assumptions are unrealistic when conducting high-intensity operations. While acknowledging MTF …


Modeling The Effects Of Parameter Changes On Heating And Pressure At The Weld Interface And Joint Strength In Friction Bit Joining, Adam Hartly Wagner Dec 2021

Modeling The Effects Of Parameter Changes On Heating And Pressure At The Weld Interface And Joint Strength In Friction Bit Joining, Adam Hartly Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

Joining of dissimilar metals is a process that is of interest in many fields, especially the automotive industry where lightweighting of the body structure is important. However, creating strong joints between dissimilar metals can be challenging. Friction bit joining (FBJ) is a solid-state method that uses a consumable bit to create a strong joint between dissimilar metals such as aluminum and steel. The purpose of this research is to gain understanding of how adjusting FBJ parameters affects the heating and pressure at the weld interface using a modeling approach, in order to better understand the bonding process. The questions guiding …


Development Of A Three Degree-Of-Freedom Control Simulation For A Group 3 Large Unmanned Aircraft System, Majka Anna Wilczynski Dec 2021

Development Of A Three Degree-Of-Freedom Control Simulation For A Group 3 Large Unmanned Aircraft System, Majka Anna Wilczynski

Theses and Dissertations

Aircraft modeling and simulation has become increasingly important in the aviation world. Simulations allow for safer and more economical training prior to flight testing. In this project, a three degree-of-freedom control simulation coded in a MATLAB environment is used to assess and simulate the dynamic stability of group three unmanned aircraft system. By calculating, evaluating, and simulating the static and dynamic stability derivatives of the aircraft, this project will allow for the estimation of the handling qualities of an unmanned aircraft system. This can help mitigate risks that come along with altering the mass and aerodynamic properties of an aircraft, …


Approaches To Improve The Execution Time Of A Quantum Network Simulation, Joseph B. Tippit Dec 2021

Approaches To Improve The Execution Time Of A Quantum Network Simulation, Joseph B. Tippit

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating quantum networks is an expensive and time-consuming task that benefits from simulation. A potential improvement is to utilize GPUs, namely by leveraging NVIDIA's programming framework, CUDA. To avoid performance pitfalls of higher level languages and programming models such as the so called "two language problem," the Julia Programming Language provides the basis for the development effort. This research develops a two module prototype quantum network simulation framework using GPUs and Julia. Performance of the software is measured and compared against other languages such as MATLAB.


The Matrix Revisited: A Critical Assessment Of Virtual Reality Technologies For Modeling, Simulation, And Training, George Demetrius Lecakes Jun 2021

The Matrix Revisited: A Critical Assessment Of Virtual Reality Technologies For Modeling, Simulation, And Training, George Demetrius Lecakes

Theses and Dissertations

A convergence of affordable hardware, current events, and decades of research have advanced virtual reality (VR) from the research lab into the commercial marketplace. Since its inception in the 1960s, and over the next three decades, the technology was portrayed as a rarely used, high-end novelty for special applications. Despite the high cost, applications have expanded into defense, education, manufacturing, and medicine. The promise of VR for entertainment arose in the early 1990's and by 2016 several consumer VR platforms were released. With VR now accessible in the home and the isolationist lifestyle adopted due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, …


A Simulation Framework For Traffic Safety With Connected Vehicles And V2x Technologies, Md Abu Sayed May 2021

A Simulation Framework For Traffic Safety With Connected Vehicles And V2x Technologies, Md Abu Sayed

Theses and Dissertations

With the advancement in automobile technologies, existing research shows that connected vehicle (CV) technologies can provide better traffic safety through Surrogate Safety Measure (SSM). CV technologies involves two network systems: traffic network and wireless communication network. We found that the research in the wireless communication network for CV did not interact properly with the research in SSM in transportation network, and vice versa. Though various SSM has been proposed in previous studies, a few of them have been tested in simulation software in limited extent. On the other hand, A large body of researchers proposed various communication architecture for CV …


Self-Consistent Modeling Of Slip-Twin Interactions In Hcp Structures, Mukti Patel Apr 2021

Self-Consistent Modeling Of Slip-Twin Interactions In Hcp Structures, Mukti Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Parsing the effect of slip-twin interactions on the strain rate and thermal sensitivities of Magnesium (Mg) alloys has been a challenging endeavor for scientists preoccupied with the mechanical behavior of hexagonal close-packed alloys, especially those with great latent economic potential such as Mg. One of the main barriers is the travail entailed in fitting the various stress-strain behaviors at different temperatures, strain rates, loading directions applied to different starting textures. Taking on this task for two different Mg alloys presenting different textures and as such various levels of slip-twin interactions were modeled using VPSC code. A recently developed routine that …


Modeling Risk Analysis Of A Layered Commercial Solution For A Classified Program When A Patient Attacker Is Present, Marsella Farnam Apr 2021

Modeling Risk Analysis Of A Layered Commercial Solution For A Classified Program When A Patient Attacker Is Present, Marsella Farnam

Theses and Dissertations

Layered security systems pose significant challenges while attempting to monitor security related activities. The varying attributes embedded within each layer as well as the attribute interdependencies within and across layers takes measurement complexity to an exponential state. The many interdependencies at play in an interconnected infrastructure further exacerbates the ability to measure overall security assurance. Then enters the patient attacker who infiltrates one layer of this security system and waits for the opportune time to infiltrate another layer. The ability to simulate and understand risk with respect to time in this dynamic environment is critical to the decision maker who …


The Wargaming Commodity Course Of Action Automated Analysis Method, William T. Deberry Mar 2021

The Wargaming Commodity Course Of Action Automated Analysis Method, William T. Deberry

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents the Wargaming Commodity Course of Action Automated Analysis Method (WCCAAM), a novel approach to assist wargame commanders in developing and analyzing courses of action (COAs) through semi-automation of the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). MDMP is a seven-step iterative method that commanders and mission partners follow to build an operational course of action to achieve strategic objectives. MDMP requires time, resources, and coordination – all competing items the commander weighs to make the optimal decision. WCCAAM receives the MDMP's Mission Analysis phase as input, converts the wargame into a directed graph, processes a multi-commodity flow algorithm on …


A Coupled Hazard Simulation And Post-Disaster Resource Optimization Framework, Stephen M. Cunningham Mar 2021

A Coupled Hazard Simulation And Post-Disaster Resource Optimization Framework, Stephen M. Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Extreme events, such as natural or human-caused disasters, cause mental health stress in affected communities. While the severity of these outcomes varies based on socioeconomic standing, age group, and degree of exposure, disaster planners can mitigate potential stress-induced mental health outcomes by assessing early, intermediate, and long-term treatment interventions by social workers and psychologists. However, local and state authorities are typically underfunded, understaffed, and have ongoing health and social service obligations that constrain mitigation and response activities. A resource assignment framework is developed as a coupled-state transition and linear optimization model that assists planners in optimally allocating constrained resources and …


Molecular Dynamic Simulation Of Protein Devices And The Parameterization Of Azides And Alkynes For Use In Unnatural Amino Acid Models, Addison Kyle Smith Jan 2021

Molecular Dynamic Simulation Of Protein Devices And The Parameterization Of Azides And Alkynes For Use In Unnatural Amino Acid Models, Addison Kyle Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins that have been modified by attaching them to a surface or to a polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecule can see many uses in therapeutics and diagnostics -- these unique proteins are called protein devices. Current techniques can perform these functionalizations at a specific residue on the protein, but what remains is identifying what happens to protein structure when mutated, and where to perform the attachment. Both of these issues can be examined using molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Currently, simulations of the unnatural amino acid (uAA) mutations necessary for protein device functionalization cannot be executed, and full-protein screens of all possible …


Molecular Dynamic Simulation Of Protein Devices And The Parameterization Of Azides And Alkynes For Use In Unnatural Amino Acid Models, Addison Kyle Smith Jan 2021

Molecular Dynamic Simulation Of Protein Devices And The Parameterization Of Azides And Alkynes For Use In Unnatural Amino Acid Models, Addison Kyle Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins that have been modified by attaching them to a surface or to a polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecule can see many uses in therapeutics and diagnostics -- these unique proteins are called protein devices. Current techniques can perform these functionalizations at a specific residue on the protein, but what remains is identifying what happens to protein structure when mutated, and where to perform the attachment. Both of these issues can be examined using molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Currently, simulations of the unnatural amino acid (uAA) mutations necessary for protein device functionalization cannot be executed, and full-protein screens of all possible …


Using System Dynamics To Study The Effect Of Change Orders On Labor Productivity, Shrouk Gharib Jan 2021

Using System Dynamics To Study The Effect Of Change Orders On Labor Productivity, Shrouk Gharib

Theses and Dissertations

Change orders in construction projects lead to numerous negative impacts, including loss of labor productivity, delays, and cost overruns. Owners and contractors are usually in disagreement when it comes to allocating the extent of responsibilities with respect to the resulting overruns. Each party tries to hold the other party fully responsible for such overruns through a series of claims and disputes. Several delay analysis techniques have been developed to aid in settling such disputes, however, they do not fully grasp the rippled impacts of change orders and do not assist parties in reaching consensus when it comes to finding the …


Equations Of State For Warm Dense Carbon From Quantum Espresso, Derek J. Schauss Jan 2021

Equations Of State For Warm Dense Carbon From Quantum Espresso, Derek J. Schauss

Theses and Dissertations

Warm dense plasma is the matter that exists, roughly, in the range of 10,000 to 10,000,000 Kelvin and has solid-like densities, typically between 0.1 and 10 grams per centimeter. Warm dense fluids like hydrogen, helium, and carbon are believed to make up the interiors of many planets, white dwarfs, and other stars in our universe. The existence of warm dense matter (WDM) on Earth, however, is very rare, as it can only be created with high-energy sources like a nuclear explosion. In such an event, theoretical and computational models that accurately predict the response of certain materials are thus very …


Tomtom Oracle, Grant B. Wells Dec 2020

Tomtom Oracle, Grant B. Wells

Theses and Dissertations

TomTom Oracle explores the conceptual and material processes throughout my body of work as an expression of a psychological tethering to a digital visual experience that removes us from the physical world.


A Strategy To Reduce Total Cost Of Ownership Of The U.S. Air Force’S Airfield Pavements, Thomas Synovec Nov 2020

A Strategy To Reduce Total Cost Of Ownership Of The U.S. Air Force’S Airfield Pavements, Thomas Synovec

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) estimates it has a $33 billion (about 10 percent is airfield pavements) deferred maintenance backlog within its $263 billion infrastructure portfolio. Given the scope of this backlog and the importance of airfields, the USAF has a vested interest in finding strategies to help reverse this growing trend. Without an increase in funding, divestiture of excess infrastructure, or change in strategy, this backlog is estimated to climb to over $50 billion by 2030. Reversing the growing infrastructure backlog trend requires new methods and strategies to rethink how the USAF invests in its infrastructure. As such, the …


Improved Analysis Techniques For Scatterometer Wind Estimation, Gregory Dallin Schachterle Aug 2020

Improved Analysis Techniques For Scatterometer Wind Estimation, Gregory Dallin Schachterle

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, three improved analysis techniques for scatterometer wind estimation are presented. These techniques build upon previous methods that help validate scatterometer data. This thesis examines the theory connecting the 1D and 2D kinetic energy spectra and uses QuikSCAT data to measure the 2D kinetic energy spectrum of ocean winds. The measured 2D kinetic energy spectrum is compared to the traditional 1D kinetic energy spectrum. The relationship between the 2D kinetic energy spectra and the 1D kinetic energy spectra confirms findings from previous studies that ocean winds modeled in 2D are isotropic and nondivergent. The 1D and 2D kinetic …