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Operation Assessment Of Reservoirs In The Savannah River Basin, Travis Yates

All Theses

Hydropower is generated from three reservoirs in the United States Army Corps of Engineer's Savannah District. These reservoirs include J. Strom Thurmond, Richard B. Russell, and Hartwell. Currently, a contract in place specifies that certain amount of energy must be provided to the region. The contract for the hydropower was based upon the critical hydrologic year of 1981. Historically, this was the most severe drought on record and assumed to provide the lowest net inflows for the three reservoirs, thus providing an attainable or reliable energy amount for the system, which suggests a dependable energy yield.
Reevaluating the contract amount …

Characterization And Enhancement Of Sensing Properties Of Piezoelectric Materials With Applications To Vibration Suppression, Siddharth Aphale

All Theses

This thesis undertakes the study of piezoelectric properties of polymer-based fabric and film sensors. An enhancement in piezoelectric properties of such sensors, as noted through earlier work, is observed with increasing weight ratios of nanomaterials dispersed in the polymer matrix. A comprehensive mathematical model using cantilever beams is developed to analyze this enhancement both qualitatively and quantitatively. An experimental setup is also developed to implement the proposed real time signal processing necessary to collect required data towards the characterization. In order to distinguish piezoelectric materials from other materials, study of the frequency response of developed fabric sensors to periodic chirp …

Biohydrogen Production From Cull Peach Medium By Hyperthermophilic Bacterium Thermotoga Neapolitana, Abhiney Jain

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Thermotoga neapolitana is a marine hyperthermophilic bacterium that ferments various sugars to hydrogen and acetate. In this study, cull peaches were used as carbon source in a defined medium for biohydrogen production and produced 18 % to 25% hydrogen in the headspace. The hydrogen production varied from 6.4-7.7 mmol H2/g peach (dry weight). The hydrogen concentration did not increase after 20 hours of incubation. The final pH decreased to 4.9 after 20 hours. Unautoclaved peach medium can be used for hydrogen production. The hydrogen production did not increase with the increase in peach concentration from 50 g/L to 100 …

Leaching Of Dissolved Organic Carbon And Selected Inorganic Constituents From Scrap Tires, Meric Selbes

All Theses

An environmentally friendly method for the disposal of scrap tires is currently unavailable; as a result, ultimate disposal of used vehicle tires continues to be a major challenge around the world. In the United States (US), during the past two decades, scrap tires have been generated at the rate of approximately one tire per person per year (i.e., approximately 290 million new scrap tires every year). It is estimated that there are currently 2 billion tires stockpiled in the US. Due to various problems involved in the disposal of scrap tires, different alternatives for recycle and reuse have been examined; …

Integration Of Multiple Data Types In 3-D Immersive Virtual Reality (Vr) Environments, George Demetrius Lecakes Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent sensors have begun to play a key part in the monitoring and maintenance of complex infrastructures. Sensors have the capability not only to provide raw data, but also provide "information" by indicating the reliability of the measurements. The effect of this added information is a voluminous increase in the total data that is gathered. If an operator is required to perceive the state of a complex system, novel methods must be developed for sifting through enormous data sets. Virtual reality (VR) platforms are proposed as ideal candidates for performing this task-- a virtual world will allow the user to …

Diesel Particulate Matter Quantification And Reduction Strategies For School Buses, David Martinez-Morett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluated the contributions of school bus self pollution from both the crankcase and the tailpipe emissions to in-cabin levels of fine and ultrafine particulate matter, and determined the effectiveness of commercially available retrofit technologies towards reducing levels of particulate matter inside the school bus passenger compartment. Mobile tests were conducted with a school bus powered by an International DT466E engine on an outdoor test track. Measurements of fine and ultrafine particle concentrations within the cabin of a school bus were performed with and without retrofit technologies.

The tests utilized a drive cycle using data from actual school bus …

Spatial Detection Of Multiple Movement Intentions From Sam-Filtered Single-Trial Meg For A High Performance Bci, Harsha Battapady

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to test whether human intentions to sustain or cease movements in right and left hands can be decoded reliably from spatially filtered single trial magneto-encephalographic (MEG) signals. This study was performed using motor execution and motor imagery movements to achieve a potential high performance Brain-Computer interface (BCI). Seven healthy volunteers, naïve to BCI technology, participated in this study. Signals were recorded from 275-channel MEG and synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) was employed as the spatial filter. The four-class classification for natural movement intentions was performed offline; Genetic Algorithm based Mahalanobis Linear Distance (GA-MLD) and direct-decision …

A Descriptive Study Of The Remote Operation And Automation Of The Vhf/Uhf System For Tracking And Controlling Kysay-1 At Morehead State University, Marc B. Beck

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Marc B. Beck on July 27, 2009.

The Production And Filtration Efficiency Testing Of Nonwoven Electrospun Fiber Mats, Jan Uecker

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the production and filtration performance of electrospun nylon-4,6 nanofiber mats was experimentally studied. The average fiber diameter of nylon-4,6 fibers is controlled by altering the polymer concentration in solution. Adding small amount of pyridine to the electrospinning solution controlled fiber beading and other defects. These fibers were then deposited onto a wide variety of conductive and dielectric substrate materials. A corona ion source was used to eliminate surface charging effects observed at the surface of all substrates. The resulting fiber mats, uniform in size and distribution as verified by SEM imaging, are tested for filtration efficiency and …

Effect Of Humic Acid On Adsorption Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls Onto Organoclay, Bhawana Sharma, Kevin H. Gardner, Jeffrey S. Melton, Amy Hawkins, Gregory Tracey

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Mitigation of risks stemming from contaminated sediments in freshwater and estuarine environments remains an important challenge to the field of environmental science and engineering. Capping sediments with reactive materials is one approach that has recently been the subject of research and development. This research evaluated the use of organoclay as a sorbent in a reactive cap for in situ remediation of contaminated sediments, and provides an original contribution by presenting the sorption characteristics of individual polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) congeners in the presence of high concentrations of humic acids typical of sediment porewater environments. Sorption of coplanar and noncoplanar PCBs on …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Bioactive, Composite Electrospun Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds Intended For Cleft Palate Repair, Parthasarathy Madurantakam

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue Engineering is a scientific discipline that aims to regenerate tissues and organs that are diseased, lost or congenitally absent. It encompasses the use of suitable synthetic equivalents of native extracellular matrix that may or may not be supplemented with cells or relevant growth factors. Such scaffolds are designed to reside at the site of implantation for a variable period of time during which they induce the regeneration of native tissue. During this time, they also provide a template for new cells to attach, infiltrate, differentiate into appropriate phenotype and eventually restore function of the concerned tissue. Among the factors …

Analysis And Design Of Earthquake Relief Virtual Logistic Information System, Chi Chen

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Method For Making In Situ Emittance Measurements Of Coal Ash Deposits, Travis J. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

A major problem associated with any power generation process in which coal is burned is the formation of ash and slag from the inorganic constituents of the coal. Ash deposition on heat transfer surfaces in coal-fired reactors is unavoidable and can have a significant effect on the performance and maintenance of boilers and gasifiers. A greater understanding of the thermal properties of coal ash deposits is important in reducing their negative impact. This work presents the development of an experimental method for making in situ measurements of the spectral emittance of coal ash deposits. It also provides measured emittances for …

An Investigation Of Middle School Student Interest, Perception, And Attitude Toward Technology And Engineering, Kari Marie Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate middle school student perception and attitude toward technology and engineering and to better understand how the gender of the teacher, gender of the student, and information provided in technology classes affected their perception and attitude. To accomplish this, the Technology Attitude Scale, and the Pupil's Attitudes Toward Technology—United States assessment instruments were used to form the basis of a new survey instrument focused on technology and engineering perception, use, and interest. The new survey instrument is called the Technology and Engineering Attitude Scale (TEAS) survey. Multiple 7th grade technology engineering classes from …

Stochastic Methods For Uncertainty Quantification In Radiation Transport, Erin D. Fichtl

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

The use of stochastic spectral expansions, specifically generalized polynomial chaos (gPC) and Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansions, is investigated for uncertainty quantification in radiation transport. The gPC represents second-order random processes in terms of an expansion of orthogonal polynomials of random variables. The KL expansion is a Fourier-type expansion that represents a second-order random process with known covariance function in terms of a set of uncorrelated random variables and the eigenmodes of the covariance function. The flux and, in multiplying materials, the k-eigenvalue, which are the problem unknowns, are always expanded in a gPC expansion since their covariance functions are also unknown. …

Modeling Riparian Groundwater Depth As A Function Of River Flow For The Rio Grande At Albuquerque, Nm, Kelly Isaacson

Civil Engineering ETDs

Riparian corridor ecological health is strongly tied to river streamflow. As climate change threatens to significantly reduce monthly streamflows in semi-arid regions, riparian groundwater will be similarly reduced, impacting native and non-native flora. This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS) based approach for creating comprehensive riparian water surfaces from point surface water and groundwater measurements. These water surfaces are used to calculate depth to groundwater as a function of river discharge for the study reach in Albuquerque, NM, USA. A one dimensional hydraulic model, calibrated with USGS streamflow data, was used to interpolate streamflow measurements throughout the study reach …

Hardiness, Well-Being, And Health: A Meta-Analytic Summary Of Three Decades Of Research, Celina Marie Oliver

Dissertations and Theses

In recent decades, as scientific understanding regarding the effects of stress on health and well-being has grown, researchers have shown increasing interest in personal factors such as hardiness that may enhance one's ability to remain resilient under stressful conditions. Hardiness is a complex trait composed of three components (commitment, control, and challenge) that combine synergistically to increase stress tolerance. Over time, a large and complex body of research has accumulated, and while many qualitative reviews have been conducted, quantitative summaries remain rare. This study provides an empirical synthesis of research findings examining the relationships between hardiness and correlates related to …

Computational Modeling Of The Helical Axis In The Human Knee--Detecting Changes In The Transverse Plane, Emily Carney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to build a helical axis algorithm capable of detecting changes in the helical axis intersection of the tibia and femur in human knees. This algorithm was designed and tested using three models: a multiplanar rigid body model, a mathematical model, and a cylinder model. The multiplanar rigid body model closely mimics knee movement without supporting ligamentous structures, thus the movement was unconstrained. In this model kinematic position data were collected using both MotionMonitor™ (MotionMonitor™ Version 7.7, Innovative Sports Training, Chicago, IL) and Vicon Nexus 1.3 software system (Oxford Metrics Group, Oxford, UK). To test …

Crack Identification By Multifractal Analysis Of A Dynamic Rotor Response, Grzegorz Litak, Jerzy T. Sawicki

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Multifractal analysis has been used to diagnose cracked and healthy rotors. Is has been shown that the complexity and regularity criteria of the dynamical systems defined by the multiple scaling of the time series can indicate the damages of the rotating shaft. Relation to the standard power spectrum technique has been also discussed.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 51 Number 1, Summer 2009, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - INAUGURATING PRESIDENT ENGH By Steven Boyd Saum. On the occasion, a ringing challenge from President Engh: Make SCU a champion for environmental justice. Read the speech and see the photos.

22 - SAVING BOUNTY By Elizabeth Svoboda. Our food-safety system is in shambles, but there are ways to make it work again. For one answer, look to your leafy greens.

28 - CAN WE SOLVE HUNGER IN OUR LIFETIME? BY Dashka Slater. Here are six ideas that, practiced together, will make a difference.

34 - ALTERNATIVE REALITY: "WORLD WITHOUT OIL" By Paul Totah '79. Alternate reality games can …

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Volume 5, Number 1, July 2009

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

Simulation Modeling Of Electronic Health Records Adoption In The U.S. Healthcare System, Nadiye O. Erdil, C. Robert Emerson

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

Increasing the efficiency of the healthcare system in the United States is an important subject due to rapidly rising costs. Among many propositions to improve the operation of the system, adoption of Electronic Health Records is widely discussed. This study uses a system dynamics methodology to develop a simulation model of the adoption process that will allow for the exploration of policies. This paper presents the development and the preliminary findings of this model.

Flight Physician - July, 2009, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

A sixteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

Micro, Nano Encapsulation Methods For Sustained Release Drug Formulations And Biomimetic Applications, Shantanu Balkundi

Doctoral Dissertations

The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly technique was used to obtain a new type of protein/polyphenol microcapsule based on naturally occurring polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and gelatin, type A. The dependence of permeability on the molecular weight of permeating substances was studied and compared with commonly used polyallylamine/polystyrene sulfonate capsules. A quartz crystal microbalance was used to monitor the regularities of EGCG adsorption in alternation with type A and B Gelatins and electrophoretic mobility measurements were used that indicated that the nature of assembly was dependent on Gelatin properties. It was shown that EGCG retains its antioxidant activity in the LbL assemblies. …

Applications Of Electricity In The Rehabilitation And Health Monitoring Of Concrete Structures, Saiprasad Vaidya

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation research work presented herein consists of two separate findings: one investigates a potential new coating technique that could be used to rehabilitate deteriorated concrete sewer pipes, and the other researches inducing electrical conductivity into geopolymer concrete to serve as smart material by being able to sense stress changes. Both applications utilize electricity to enhance the performance and/or functionality of hardened cementitious materials.

Microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) in concrete wastewater conveyance systems is a leading deterioration mechanism in such structures. This work focuses on breaking the MIC cycle by preventing colonization of the bacteria responsible for converting hydrogen sulfide …

Rna Search With Decision Trees And Partial Covariance Models, Jennifer A. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of partial covariance models to search for RNA family members in genomic sequence databases is explored. The partial models are formed from contiguous subranges of the overall RNA family multiple alignment columns. A binary decision-tree framework is presented for choosing the order to apply the partial models and the score thresholds on which to make the decisions. The decision trees are chosen to minimize computation time subject to the constraint that all of the training sequences are passed to the full covariance model for final evaluation. Computational intelligence methods are suggested to select the decision tree since the …

On-Board Orbit Determination And 3-Axis Attitude Determination For Picosatellite Applications, John Arthur Bowen

Master's Theses

This thesis outlines an orbit determination and 3-axis attitude determination system for use on orbit as applicable to 1U CubeSats and other picosatellites. The constraints imposed by the CubeSat form factor led to the need for a simple configuration and relaxed accuracy requirements. To design a system within the tight mass, volume, and power constraints inherent to CubeSats, a balance between hardware complexity, software complexity and accuracy is sought. The proposed solution consists of a simple orbit propagator, magnetometers with a magnetic field look-up table, Sun sensors with an analytic Sun direction model, and the TRIAD method to combine vector …

The North American Transportation Security Center – Serri Analysis Update, Steven Douglas Kreis, Michael M. Barclay

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

There are over 800,000 hazardous materials (hazmat) shipments over the nation’s roads each day. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terrorist activity related to the transportation of hazardous materials represents a significant threat to public safety and the nation’s critical infrastructure. Specifically, the federal government has identified the government’s inability to track hazmat shipments on a real-time basis as a significant security vulnerability.

In 2004, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) completed a study to determine if “smart truck” technology such as GPS tracking, wireless modems, panic buttons, and on-board computers could be …

Packaging Trends For Bottled Water, N. Noble, L. Paul, C. Mcminimee, M. Mallett, Jay Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The Journal of Applied Packaging Research(JAPR) is an international forum for the dissemination of research papers, review articles, tutorials and news about innovative or emerging technologies for the packaging industry. In an effort to introduce research conducted by packaging students to the academics and industry professionals and to provide an outlet for these future stewards of the packaging industry to experience the world of publishing, JAPR, occasionally includes such work in its issues.

Bottled water is drinking water packaged generally in plastic bottles and regulated by national and local agencies. The Beverage Marketing Corporation defines the bottled water market …

Influence Of Towing Force Magnitude On The Kinematics Of Supramaximal Sprinting, David A. Clark, Seth Kuhlman, Michelle B. Sabick, Ronald P. Pfeiffer, Nicole A. Knigge

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of towing force magnitude on the kinematics of supramaximal sprinting. Ten high school and collegiate aged track and field athletes ran 60m maximal sprints under 5 different conditions: non-towed (NT), Tow A (2.0% body weight), Tow B (2.8%BW), Tow C (3.8%BW), and Tow D (4.7%BW). Three-dimensional kinematics of a 4-segment model of the right side of the body were collected starting at the 35m point of the trial. Significant differences were observed in stride length (SL) and horizontal velocity of the center of mass (VH) during Tow C and Tow …