Digital Commons Network^™

Biomechanical Evaluation Of Glenohumeral Joint Stabilizing Muscles During Provocative Tests Designed To Diagnose Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior Lesions, Vanessa J. C. Wood

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Despite considerable advances in the understanding of glenohumeral (GH) biomechanics and glenoid labral pathologies, arthroscopy remains the only definitive means of Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior (SLAP) lesion diagnosis. Unfortunately, natural GH anatomic variants limit the reliability of radiography. Accurate clinical diagnostic techniques would be advantageous due to the invasiveness, patient risk, and financial cost associated with arthroscopy. Twenty provocative tests designed to elicit labral symptoms as a diagnostic sign have shown promising accuracy by their respective original authors, but later studies generally fail to reproduce those findings. The purpose of this study was to compare the behavior of GH joint stabilizing …

A Wireless Sensor Data Fusion Framework For Contaminant Detection, Joshua Kiepert

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the search for more effective instruments to collect data for the identification of threats to security, health, and safety, new tools must be designed to meet the challenges of a diverse set of possible applications. The extensive range of potential applications raises the need for a general purpose system capable of addressing a wide variety of deployment environments. This thesis focuses on a wireless sensor network framework for collecting environmental data in an effort to develop a sensing solution that fits within many design spaces. The framework includes reconfigurable wireless sensor node hardware, firmware, and software for interfacing sensor …

Elastic, Viscous, And Mass Load Effects On Poststroke Muscle Recruitment And Co-Contraction During Reaching: A Pilot Study, Tina M. Stoeckmann, Katherine J. Sullivan, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Resistive exercise after stroke can improve strength (force-generating capacity) without increasing spasticity (velocity-dependent hypertonicity). However, the effect of resistive load type on muscle activation and co-contraction after stroke is not clear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of load type (elastic, viscous, or mass) on muscle activation and co-contraction during resisted forward reaching in the paretic and nonparetic arms after stroke.

Design: This investigation was a single-session, mixed repeated-measures pilot study.

Methods: Twenty participants (10 with hemiplegia and 10 without neurologic involvement) reached forward with each arm against equivalent elastic, viscous, and mass loads. …

Access Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions: Final Report, Abdul Mohsen Al Husseini, Luis Alvarez Sanchez, Konstantinos Antonakopoulos, Jeffrey (Johannes) Apeldoorn, Kenneth Lowell Ashford Jr., Kutay Deniz Atabay, Sara Langston, Et Al.

Publications

The human race has evolved, grown and expanded through the exploration of Earth. After initial steps on the Moon, our next challenge is to explore the solar system. Mars shows potential for both scientific discovery and future human settlement, and so is a prime candidate for the next leap of human exploration. Such a bold endeavor will be a driver for an unprecedented worldwide cooperative effort and the catalyst for a new era of international, intercultural and interdisciplinary human relations. Scientific and technological progress will also accelerate as mankind is ushered into a new era of space exploration.

Currently proposed …

Developing A Philosophical Profile Of The Individual For Complex Problem-Solving Through Agent-Based Modeling, Ipek Bozkurt

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Research that focuses on the emotional, mental, behavioral and cognitive capabilities of individuals has been abundant within disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, among others. The main argument made in this dissertation, however, is that a different perspective is necessary in order to gain insight about individuals when facing the complex problems that are presented within engineering and management disciplines. This is done by developing the Philosophical Profile of the Individual (PPI) that uses epistemology, ontology and teleology as underlying dimensions of philosophical predispositions. The epistemology dimension considers whether an individual is an Empiricist or a Rationalist, the ontology …

Advances In Neural Networks Research: An Introduction, Robert Kozma, Steven Bressler, Leonid Perlovsky, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present Special Issue "Advances in Neural Networks Research: IJCNN2009" provides a state-of-art overview of the field of neural networks. It includes 39 papers from selected areas of the 2009 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN2009). IJCNN2009 took place on June 14-19, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and it represents an exemplary collaboration between the International Neural Networks Society and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. Topics in this issue include neuroscience and cognitive science, computational intelligence and machine learning, hybrid techniques, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, various soft computing technologies, intelligent signal processing and pattern recognition, bioinformatics and biomedicine, and …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Low-Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Plasma On Streptococcus Mutans, Margaret Farrer Lemaster

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The recent emergence of low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma (LTAPP) technology has led researchers to explore biomedical applications. The present study set out to determine if LTAPP has the ability to inactivate dental caries causing bacteria, specifically Streptococcus mutans. Methods: A total of 90 samples were processed. Seventy-two samples of S. mutans at 1: 100 dilution in BHI broth were exposed to LTAPP for various time intervals (60, 120, 180, 300 seconds). Eighteen control samples were plated but not exposed to LTAPP. Samples were plated on Mi tis salivarius (MS) agar and incubated 48 hours at 37° C. Colony …

A Military Surge In Afghanistan -- Modeling A Focused Security Effort, Brent David Morrow

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In October of 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government. Since their overthrow, the Taliban has pieced together and waged an insurgency to retake Afghanistan. That insurgency has gained momentum and grown in strength while the United States NA TO counterinsurgency effort has decreased in size to about 55,000 troops in 2007. Many factors contribute to the insurgency inside of Afghanistan, from ethnic to economic factors to the failure of the central government. This research used a study of the current state of affairs in Afghanistan and agent-based modeling to determine whether a military troop surge …

Time Valuation Of Risk: A Delayed-Bang Approach, Abhishek Pathak

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The subject of this thesis is the combined use of engineering economics and survival analysis in estimating time-value of risk-related resources. The discussion includes (1) the need for sustainable risk management, (2) the importance of time-valuation of risk related resources in the allocation or selection among competing risk mitigation alternatives, (3) the convergence of deterministic engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probabilistic analysis, and (4) results and examples of application in the context of prevention of risk event or mitigation of its consequences.

The significance of this thesis is in how three topics: engineering economics, survivability analysis, and probability theory can …

Brain Tumor Progression Assessment Using Multiple Mri Volumes, Yufei Shen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Predicting and assessing tumor progression is important in brain tumor treatment. We attempt to use machine learning techniques to achieve consistency in assessing brain tumor progression. This thesis presents a prediction method of brain tumor progression by exploring a large MR database, which contains two patients ' complete records covering all their visits in the past two years. All ten MRI series, namely, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) , diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) , fractional anisotropy (FA), fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), max eigenvalue (MAX), mid eigenvalue (MID), min eigenvalue (MIN) , post-contrast T₁-weighted, T₁- weighted, and …

Adjacent Slice Prostate Cancer Prediction To Inform Maldi Imaging Biomarker Analysis, Shao-Hui Chuang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men in the U.S. [1]. Traditionally, prostate cancer diagnosis is made by the analysis of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and histopathological images of biopsy samples under microscopes. Proteomic biomarkers can improve upon these methods. MALDI molecular spectra imaging is used to visualize protein/peptide concentrations across biopsy samples to search for biomarker candidates. Unfortunately, traditional processing methods require histopathological examination on one slice of a biopsy sample while the adjacent slice is subjected to the tissue destroying desorption and ionization processes of MALDI. The highest confidence tumor regions gained from …

Analysis Of Partial Discharge Pulse Height Distribution Parameters, Vinay N. Nimbole

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Partial Discharges (PD) have been traditionally used to assess the state of any insulation system and its remnant life. In earlier work, Perspex (PMMA) samples with a needle plane gap have been aged with AC voltage. Their tree growth was monitored simultaneously by collecting PD at regular intervals of time and taking microphotographs in real time without interrupting the aging voltage. The obtained partial discharge pulse amplitude records were clustered together into groups of class intervals. The sequence of PD pulse height records was quantified as a time series of shape (η), and scale (σ) parameters of a Weibull distribution. …

Reconciling Discontinuities And Disruptions: The Construction Of An Integrated Typology, David Jeffery Kern

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Radical innovations are often characterized by a rapid shift from one dominant design to another. The theories of discontinuous and disruptive innovation present two important and independent explanations for why these shifts occur. This research tests the usefulness of combining these two theories into a single integrated typology. First, a typology is constructed that classifies shifts in dominant designs according to the theories of discontinuous and disruptive innovation. Next, the usefulness of this typology is tested with a taxonomy derived from 100 randomly selected shifts in dominant designs from across a broad range of industries. This research reconciles the theories …

Real-Time Socio-Economic Data For Travel Demand Modeling And Project Evaluation, Kevin M. Ford, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

Small and medium-sized communities often lack data that are complete, current, representative of the community, and appropriate for the travel demand models/software to be applied. To aid such communities, this research was conducted to meet the following objectives:

(1) Identify and facilitate the communication of data that is updated more frequently than the Decennial Census for Indiana Travel Demand Models;

(2) Allow the use of cross-classification techniques within trip generation for planning organizations that lack the time and resources to conduct travel demand/household surveys;

(3) Evaluate the sensitivity of travel demand model outputs to varied parameters and inputs so as …

Land Conservation And Land Use In New England: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities, Amanda Loomis, Tom Devine, Andrea Small, Brittany Howard, Brett Richardson, Stephanie Dulac

Land Conservation

Sprawling development patterns accelerated across the New England landscape in the last three decades and consumed the region‘s forests, farms, and open spaces at an unprecedented rate. New England‘ers in all six states formed land trusts, supported statewide conservation organizations, and collaborated with state and federal partners to protect some of their most-prized recreation lands, wildlife habitats, and working lands. The current economic recession has slowed development pressures across the region and offers an opportunity to build on recent successes. The time is right to plan a coordinated New England conservation strategy that protects and links the region‘s natural assets. …

Comparison Of Passive Cervical Spine Flexion In Children And Adults, Jami Saffioti

Theses and Dissertations

Head trauma is the most frequent injury sustained by children in car crashes, and the neck plays a key role in governing head kinematics during the crash. Pediatric anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) are used to assess the risk of head injury, yet the pediatric ATD neck is a size-scaled model of the adult ATD neck, with no consideration for the tissue properties and morphological changes during human development. To help understand the effects of maturation on the changes in neck flexion biomechanics, this study compared the passive cervical spine flexion of children to adults in specific age groups (6-8, 9-12, …

Teaching Sustainability In Cal Poly Electrical And Computer Engineering Programs, David Braun, Art Maccarley, John Oliver

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Decision Analysis For Construction Contract Risk-Sharing, Teh-Chang Lee, Ta-Hsing Lee, Ching-Hwang Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

As the risk-sharing provisions in domestic public construction contracts are not completely fair and reasonable, contract disputes often arise as a result which in turn cause delays, quality impacts, and other problems that urgently need improvement. Introduced in this article is the development of a decision system for risk-sharing in public construction contracts. Said system was developed through literature review, questionnaire and interviews of experts, fuzzy synthetic evaluation in conjunction of analytic hierarchy process, definition of risks in public construction contracts, and establishment of decision models for risk-sharing. Subsequently, the “escalation” risk was employed as an example to select suitable …

Monte Carlo Green's Function Formalism For The Propagation Of Partially Coherent Light, Scott A. Prahl, David G. Fischer, Donald D. Duncan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a Monte Carlo-derived Green's function for the propagation of partially spatially coherent fields. This Green's function, which is derived by sampling Huygens-Fresnel wavelets, can be used to propagate fields through an optical system and to compute first- and second-order field statistics directly. The concept is illustrated for a cylindrical f/1 imaging system. A Gaussian copula is used to synthesize realizations of a Gaussian Schell-model field in the pupil plane. Physical optics and Monte Carlo predictions are made for the first- and second-order statistics of the field in the vicinity of the focal plane for a variety of source …

Effects Of Prior Aging At 288°C In Argon Environment On Creep Response Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Pmr-15 Composite With ±45°Fiber Orientation At 288°C, Tyler F. Gruters

Theses and Dissertations

The creep and recovery response of carbon fiber reinforced PMR-15 composite with a ±45 fiber orientation was examined in an argon environment at 288°C. Mechanical testing was executed for unaged specimens as well as specimens aged up to 1000 hours. Tensile tests were performed to determine Young's modulus of elasticity and ultimate tensile strength. The creep tests were carried out at stress levels of 30 and 60 MPa. Creep periods of 25 hours were followed by recovery periods of 50 hours at zero stress. Weight loss measurements as a function of aging time were taken as well. The accumulated creep …

Cavity Coupled Aeroramp Injector Combustion Study, Dell T. Olmstead

Theses and Dissertations

The difficulties with fueling of supersonic combustion ramjet engines with hydrocarbon based fuels presents many challenges that are currently being tackled by the Air Force Research Lab Propulsion Directorate Aerospace Propulsion Division. As the scramjet engine designs are scaled up, the need for a better solution to supersonic mixing has led to the development of many different styles of fuel injection. An aerodynamic ramp injector has been shown to have a quantitative improvement over a physical ramp while still achieving desirable mixing characteristics. The objectives for this research was quantifying the performance and operability implications of replacing four 15 degree …

Performance And Operability Of A Dual Cavity Flame Holder In A Supersonic Combustor, Mackenzie J. Collatz

Theses and Dissertations

The current generation of hydrocarbon fueled scramjet combustors typically requires a flame holding device to facilitate flame ignition and stable combustion. The amount of time available for fuel injection, fuel-air mixing, and combustion is very short, on the order of 1 millisecond. This short dwell time, along with the relatively long ignition delay times of hydrocarbon fuels, makes the flow path and flame holder design extremely important. This study investigates the performance and operability of using a symmetric dual cavity flame holder flow path to stabilize and enhance supersonic combustion. Testing of this flow path configuration, as well as a …

An Efficient And Effective Implementation Of The Trust System For Power Grid Compartmentalization, Juan M. Carlos Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

As utility companies develop and incorporate new technologies, such as moving to utility Internet technology based architecture and standard; it is crucial that we do so with history in mind. We know that traditional utility protection and control systems were not designed with security in their top priorities. This presents a danger in an environment where near real-time responses are required to ensure safe operations. As a consequence, system security becomes a burden to the system rather than necessary protection. Unfortunately, technology implementation is not the only concern. The number of utility privately-owned companies has multiplied as the market has …

Early-Age Re-Entry Under Fresh Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete, E. Stefan Bernard

Shotcrete for Underground Support XI

Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete (FRS) is now used together with bolts for ground support in almost every underground metalliferous mine in Australia. Safety and economy have been the primary factors driving the widespread adoption of this system of ground support. Thickness, strength, and toughness requirements for long-term stabilization of hard rock ground are relatively well understood for the majority of ground conditions, but minimum safe re-entry times following spraying remain unclear. This issue has therefore been addressed through a series of experimental and theoretical investigations that have assessed common ground conditions in metalliferous mines and compared this to the local load …

Construction Placement, Hardened Properties And Durability Of Shotcrete With Highly Functional Fly Ash, Kunihiro Yuno, Chikanori Hashimoto, Mitsuhiro Ishii, Hiroyuki Mizuguchi

Shotcrete for Underground Support XI

Shikoku Electric Power Co., Inc. has developed the technology to manufacture a brand name “Finash” about 12 years ago, by sorting and classifying coal ash generated in coal fired power plants. “Finash” is highly functional fly ash (HFA) is produced by removing irregular coarse particles. It is important for the production of HFA to minimize the variation in quality of coal ash with sophisticated classification technique and extracting good-quality spherical fine particles. The specific surface of HFA is more than 5000 cm2/g. It is now widely utilized as concrete admixture for general civil engineering structures and buildings in Japan.

When …

Recent Experiences Using Shotcrete At Underground Laboratory Facilities, Christopher Laughton Phd, Pe

Shotcrete for Underground Support XI

The paper discusses the use of shotcrete linings at underground laboratories, and details the application of shotcrete and water control systems on the Neutrinos at Main Injector project, located in Illinois, USA. The paper also proposes guidelines for the use of shotcrete at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, South Dakota, USA.

Activities Of The Ita Working Group On Sprayed Concrete Use, Tarcisio B. Celestino, Atsumu Ishida

Shotcrete for Underground Support XI

This paper describes the activities of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) Working Group 12 on Sprayed Concrete Use. The Working Group has carried out tasks with the purpose of promoting information exchange between National Groups and planning, coordinating and releasing the results of testing programs in order to advance the state-of-the-art of sprayed concrete use for underground support. The intention of the Working Group is to explore and develop the idea that the rational use of sprayed concrete improves possibilities for design and construction of new underground works.

Slides: Groundwater Law And Administration: From Conflict To Reform, Michael A. Gheleta

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Michael A. Gheleta, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, Denver, CO

14 slides

Slides: Modifying Prior Appropriation: The Spectrum Of Experiences, Adam Schempp

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Adam Schempp, Environmental Law Institute, Washington, DC

12 slides