Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Structural Health Monitoring Alternatives Utilizing A Value-Focused Thinking Model, Margaret A. Barker, Fatih S. Gurbuz, Jeremy A. Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

Current Air Force operations are undergoing significant changes necessitated by increasing fiscal constraints, increasing aircraft age, and recent drawdown in personnel to perform maintenance, repair, and other necessary functions. In order to deal with these challenges, the Air Force must effectively improve current operations. This paper explores potential structural health monitoring (SHM) solutions to some of the challenges facing aircraft maintenance and repair operations. As with any problem, a variety of solutions exist and this paper explores the potential solutions and limitations of various options. Aircraft SHM is an intriguing concept with potential capability to revolutionize current Air Force maintenance …

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act Web Tool, Amanda Gumbert, UK Cooperative Extension Service
• Cane Run Watershed Council – An Adventure in Watershed Involvement, Amanda Gumbert, UK Cooperative Extension Service
• Preliminary Comparison of Nutrient and Total Suspended Sediment Data on Water Samples Collected using Teledyne Portable Autosampler and EPA Field Methods for Wadeable Streams, Susan Brown, April Haight and others, Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy, Morehead State University
• Groundwater Protection Plans, Patricia Keefe, Kentucky Division of Water
• Use of Geophysical Techniques to Locate a Karst Conduit in the Cane Run – Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky …

Session 2d, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• The Warren County Blueways Initiative, Steve Spencer, Kevin Cary, and Tammy Stenger-Ramsey, Western Kentucky University
• The Big Sandy “Big Dip”: Effectiveness of a Community-Oriented and Geographically Intensive Approach to Assessing Small Headwater Stream Health, Reagan Weaver and Alice Jones, Environmental Research Institute, EKU
• Sanitation District Management of Replaced/Repaired Individual and Clustered Wastewater Treatment Systems in Olympia, Kentucky, Celia Barker, Bath County Health Dept, Jeffrey Brittingham and Barry Tonning, Tetra Tech
• Assessment of Combined Sewer Overflows, Elizabeth Coyle, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, UK

Session 2b, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Watershed Based Planning in the Upper East Fork of Clarks River, Maggie Morgan, Four Rivers Basin Team, Paul Maron, Strand Associates, Inc
• Kentucky Institute for Watershed Management Support, Alanna Storey, Jana Fattic, and Andrew Ernest, Center for Water Resource Studies, WKU
• Overview of TMDL Development for Panther Creek and Long Falls Watersheds in Daviess and McLean Counties, Kentucky, Josh Brewer, Center for Water Resource Studies, WKU
• Nitrogen Isotopes to Study the Variability of Sediment Transported from a Lowland Watershed in the Bluegrass, Jimmy Fox and others, Dept Civil Engineering, UK

Session 1a, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Integrated Surface and Groundwater Quality Assessments in Karst Regions of Kentucky, Robert Blair and Peter Goodmann, Kentucky Division of Water
• The Karst Potential Index for Kentucky, Progress Report, James Currens, Randall Paylor, and Matthew Crawford, Kentucky Geological Survey, UK
• DNA Analysis of Fecal Bacteria to Trace Transport of Agricultural Pathogens at Crump’s Cave, KY, Rick Fowler, WATERS Laboratory, WKU
• Process Water Management (PWM) for Achieving Water Conservation Management (WCM), Cam Metcalf and Tom Wright, Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center, U of L Shelby Campus

Proceedings Of 2009 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This conference was planned and conducted as part of the state water resources research annual program with the support and collaboration of the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, under Grant Agreement Number 06HQGR0087.

The views and conclusions contained in this document and presented at the symposium are those of the abstract authors and presenters and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government or other symposium organizers and sponsors.

Empirical Formulas For Economic Fluctuations: Towards A New Justification, Tanja Magoc, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

To avoid crisis developments, it is important to make financial decisions based on the models which correct predict the probabilities of large-scale economic fluctuations. At present, however, most financial decisions are based on Gaussian random-walk models, models which are known to underestimate the probability of such fluctuations. There exist better empirical models for describing these probabilities, but economists are reluctant to use them since these empirical models lack convincing theoretical explanations. To enhance financial stability and avoid crisis situations, it is therefore important to provide theoretical justification for these (more) accurate empirical models. Such a justification is provided in this …

Guesstimation: A New Justification Of The Geometric Mean Heuristic, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical situations in which the only information we have about the quantity x is that its value is within an interval [x,X], a reasonable estimate for this quantity is the geometric mean of the bounds, i.e., the square root of the product x*X. In this paper, we provide a new justification for this geometric mean heuristic.

Stochastic Volatility Models And Financial Risk Measures: Towards New Justifications, Hung T. Nguyen, Vladik Kreinovich, Songsak Sriboonchitta

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

We provide theoretical justifications for the empirical successes of (1) the asymmetric heteroskedasticity models of stochastic volatility in mathematical finance and (2) Wang's distorted probability risk measures in actuarial and investment sciences, using a unified framework of symmetry groups.

Motivation In Spinoza And Rosenzweig Or Transgressing The Boundaries Of A Rationally Constructed Self, Jules Simon

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Projected Climate-Induced Faunal Change In The Western Hemisphere, Joshua J. Lawler, Sarah L. Shafer, Denis White, Peter Kareiva, Edwin P. Maurer, Andrew R. Blaustein, Patrick J. Bartlein

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Climate change is predicted to be one of the greatest drivers of ecological change in the coming century. Increases in temperature over the last century have clearly been linked to shifts in species distributions. Given the magnitude of projected future climatic changes, we can expect even larger range shifts in the coming century. These changes will, in turn, alter ecological communities and the functioning of ecosystems. Despite the seriousness of predicted climate change, the uncertainty in climate-change projections makes it difficult for conservation managers and planners to proactively respond to climate stresses. To address one aspect of this uncertainty, we …

The Rom / Uwo Mummy Project: A Microcosm Of Progress In Mummy Research, Andrew J. Nelson, R. Chhem, I. A. Cunningham, S. N. Friedman, G. Garvin, G. Gibson, P. V. Granton, David W. Holdsworth, S. Holowka, F. Longstaffe, V. Lywood, N. Nguyen, R. Shaw, M. Trumpour, Andrew D. Wade, C. D. White

Anthropology Presentations

The beginnings of the Royal Ontario Museum can be traced back to the excavations and collections of Charles Trick Currelly, a staff member of the Egyptian Exploration Fund in the early 1900s. Currelly excavated with Sir Flinders Petrie at Abydos and with Edouard Naville at Deir el Bahari. With the assistance of Robert Mond and others, Currelly amassed a rich and diverse collection that became the basis for the ROM, which opened its doors in 1914. Part of that collection included several Egyptian mummies (Currelly 1971) .

The Egyptologicalholdings at the ROM include eight mummies: one dating to the Predynastic …

Fast Convolution And Fast Fourier Transform Under Interval Uncertainty, Guoqing Liu, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Convolution y(t), defined as an integral of a(t-s)*x(s) ds, is one of the main techniques in digital signal processing. A straightforward computation of the convolution y(t) requires O(n^2) steps, where n is the number of observations x(t0),...,x(t(n-1)). It is well known that by using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm, we can compute convolution much faster, with computation time O(n*log(n)).

In practice, we only know the signal x(t) and the function a(t) with uncertainty; sometimes, we know them with interval uncertainty, i.e., we know intervals [x-(t),x+(t)] and [a-(t),a+(t)] that contain the actual (unknown) functions x(t) and a(t). In such situations, …

Vivisimo Customer Case Study, Vivisimo

Library Press and Events

Capitalizing on the power of the Internet, the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center (HAM-TMC) Library is using search to reinvent itself in this digital age. By using the Vivisimo Velocity Search Platform to search its multiple repositories, the library has helped users find information they never knew existed as well as positioned the library as a thought leader in its community.

Acuta Enews March 2009, Vol 38, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This Issue

ACUTA Audio Seminar: FERPA

From ACUTA Headquarters: Member Anniversaries Jeri Semer, CAE, Exec. Dir.

DC Update ...........Dave Ostrom, Washington State University (retired)

Tech Talk: FCoE May Figure into Your Storage Future..........Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

Making the Most of ACUTA Resources...... Carolyn Trail, Roanoke College

Higher Ed Belt Tightening ls Squeezing Technology Operations.... Kevin Tanzillo... Dux PR

Winner of Free Audio Seminar

lnfo Links ........... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Overheard on the Listserv: SIP Trunking to the PSTN

Board Report, February.... Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State University

Check lt Out: RFls/RFPs, Job Postings, Press Releases, Special …

Effect Of Transport Vibration On Quality Of Minimally Processed And Packaged Fresh-Cut Cantaloupe, Koushik Saha, S. Paul Singh, Bruce Harte

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This study was undertaken to determine the quality of packaged fresh cut cantaloupe subjected to transport vibration after treating with various anti-browning agents. Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) pieces were dipped in two anti-browning solutions: Treatment- A (2% ascorbic acid + 1% calcium chloride + 0.5% citric acid) and Treatment-B (3% NatureSeal™) for 2 minutes and packaged in bio-based clamshell containers and vibrated for 60 minutes (ASTM 4169, Truck assurance level II). Vibration of cut-cantaloupe packaged in sample containers had a positive effect on the flavor and overall liking. The overall liking scores were higher than 6(slightly like) on a hedonic scale …

An Analysis Of Construction Contractor Performance Evaluation System, Rebecca S. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

A rigorous system for rating construction contractor performance does not exist for the USAF as identified by the Air Force Civil Engineer (USAF CE), Major General Del Eulberg (Eulberg, 2007). The United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) uses DD Form 2626 for contractor performance evaluation and contractor selection. The objective of this research is to strengthen the USAF contractor rating system by exploring USACE‘s use of DD Form 2626. Using data from DD Form 2626, statistical analysis was conducted to determine if the measured performance sub-items reflect their respective performance elements, whether the resulting performance elements relate to the …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Prediction Potential Of An In Silico Computer Model Of Intracranial Pressure Dynamics, Wayne Wakeland, Rachel Agbeko, Kevin Vinecore, Mark Peters, Brahm Goldstein

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently results in poor outcome, suggesting that new approaches are needed. We hypothesized that a patient-specific in silico computer model of intracranial pressure (ICP) dynamics may predict the ICP response to therapy.

Design: In silico model analysis of prospectively collected data.

Setting: Twenty-three and 16-bed pediatric intensive care units in two tertiary care academic hospitals.

Patients: Nine subjects with severe TBI undergoing ICP monitoring (7 M/2 F, age range 3-17 years).

Interventions: Random changes in head-of-bed (HOB) (0[degrees], 10[degrees], 20[degrees], 30[degrees], 40[degrees]) elevation and respiratory rate (to achieve a [DELTA]ETco2 = +/-3-4 mm Hg) were …

Performance Of A Catch Basin Filter And Leachate From Biocidal Media For Stormwater Treatment, Ryan Scott Maclure

Master's Theses

The feasibility of installing biocidal beads into a catch basin filter insert for simultaneous stormwater disinfection and contaminant removal was tested. The catch basin filter insert (DrainPac®) was tested for its sediment, oil and grease, and coliform bacteria removal efficiency in conjunction with bench-scale testing of biocidal polymer beads. DrainPac® catch basin filters are composed of a metal frame, polypropylene filter fabric, and a high-density polymer support basket, and are installed below storm drains. A 12 x 41 in. DrainPac® filter (United Stormwater, Inc.) insert was set in a flume that simulated a large-scale catchment basin. Pond water was gravity …

Phytoremediation Of Weathered Petroleum In Groundwater By Arroyo Willows In Nutrient Amended On-Site Mesocosms, Sarah E. Bragg-Flavan

Master's Theses

PHYTOREMEDIATION OF WEATHERED PETROLEUM IN GROUNDWATER BY ARROYO WILLOWS IN NUTRIENT AMENDED ON-SITE MESOCOSMS

SARAH BRAGG-FLAVAN

A large-scale mesocosm study was conducted to determine if vegetation with willow trees enhances biodegradation and to evaluate the mechanisms of natural biodegradation of weathered petroleum compounds under field conditions. The mesocosms were designed to model conditions at a former oil field where mid-range petroleum distillates were used as a diluent for pumping crude oil contaminated the soil and groundwater at the site with petroleum compounds. Ten mesocosms were constructed at the field site using un-impacted soil and diluent-impacted groundwater from the site. Five …

Potential Migration Of Ε-Caprolactam To Water And Wine As Affected By Transportation And Storage, Joseph C. Ianneo

Master's Theses

Abstract: Under normal sealing and storage conditions, Nylon-6, poly-caprolactam-based plastic laminates may release impurities to packaged foods and liquids and the application of heat for cooking often increases the rate of migration. Epsilon-caprolactam is one of the main contaminates found to migrate from a Nylon-6 poly-caprolactam plastic film. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of solvent, transportation and storage time on the migration of ε-caprolactam from a Nylon-6-based lidding material into water or a white wine substitute (12% ethanol). Polypropylene plastic cups were filled, sealed, packaged, stacked and exposed to a simulated 3-day cross-country shipment. Cups …

A Novel Long-Period Fiber Grating Optical Sensor For Large Strain Measurement, Genda Chen, Hai Xiao, Ying Huang, Zhi Zhou, Yinan Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Critical buildings such as hospitals and police stations must remain functional immediately following a major earthquake event. Due to earthquake effects, they often experience large strains, leading to progressive collapses. Therefore, monitoring and assessing the large strain condition of critical buildings is of paramount importance to post-earthquake responses and evacuations in earthquake-prone regions. In this study, a novel large strain sensor based on the long period fiber grating (LPFG) technology is proposed and developed. CO₂ laser induced LPFG sensors are characterized for such mechanical properties as strain sensitivity in extension and flexure, sensor stability, and measurement range. For practical …

Generalized Neuron Based Secure Media Access Control Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Raghavendra V. Kulkarni, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Abhishek V. Thakur, Sanjay Kumar Madria

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Security plays a pivotal role in most applications of wireless sensor networks. It is common to find inadequately secure networks confined only to controlled environments. The issue of security in wireless sensor networks is a hot research topic for over a decade. This paper presents a compact generalized neuron (GN) based medium access protocol that renders a CSMA/CD network secure against denial-of-service attacks launched by adversaries. The GN enhances the security by constantly monitoring multiple parameters that reflect the possibility that an attack is launched by an adversary. Particle swarm optimization, a popular bio-inspired evolutionary-like optimization algorithm is used for …

Voltage Delay On Li/Socl2 And Bcx Cells During Discharge, Shu-Tao Liu, Yi-Ping Wu, Hong-Hua Ge, Guo-Ding Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

The impedance change of both lithium and carbon electrodes during the process of discharge was studied by AC impedance spectroscopy.It shows that the impedance of lithium electrode at initial stage was reduced by 80%～90% and kept nearly unchanged after wards;the carbon electrode impedance initially did not change much but quickly increased just before the end of discharge.The improvement of voltage delay might be related with the higher open-circuit voltage of BCX cell.It is suggested that the voltage delay problem may be solved by the application of supercapacitor.

Energy Efficiency Cost-Effectiveness Tests For Residential Energy Code Update Processes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The 2008 Florida Energy Act directed the Florida Building Commission (FBC) to develop an administrative rule for determining the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency updates to the Florida Building Code. This report addresses the economics of building energy efficiency, standard economic cost-effectiveness indicators that could be used for code update purposes and makes specific recommendations on economic assessment standards to be included in the cost-effectiveness test administrative rule.

Position Concordant - Haptic Mouse, Ravi Rastogi

Theses and Dissertations

Haptic mice, computer mice modified to have a tactile display, have been developed to enable access to computer graphics by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Although these haptic mice are potentially very helpful and have been frequently used by the research community, there are some fundamental problems with the mouse, limiting its acceptance. In this paper we have identified the problems and have suggested solutions using one haptic mouse, the VT Player. We found that our modified VT Player showed significant improvement both in terms of the odds of obtaining a correct responses and the time to perform …

Reconstruction Of A Large-Scale Reconnection Exhaust Structure In The Solar Wind, W.-L. Teh, B. U. Ö Sonnerup, Q. Hu, C. J. Farrugia

Dartmouth Scholarship

We recover two-dimensional (2-D) magnetic field and flow field configurations from three spacecraft encounters with a single large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind, using a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008) based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, 2-D geometry. The reconstruction is performed in the rest frame of the X-line, where the flow into, and the plasma jetting within, the exhaust region are clearly visible. The event was first identified by Phan et al. (2006) in the ACE, Cluster, and Wind data sets; they argued that quasi-steady reconnection persisted for over 2 h …

An Inverse Method For Predicting Tissue-Level Mechanics From Cellular Mechanical Input, Wangdo Kim, Derek C. Tretheway, Sean S. Kohles

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a dynamic three-dimensional structure which translates mechanical stimuli to cells. This local mechanical stimulation may direct biological function including tissue development. Theories describing the role of mechanical regulators hypothesize the cellular response to variations in the external mechanical forces on the ECM. The exact ECM mechanical stimulation required to generate a specific pattern of localized cellular displacement is still unknown. The cell to tissue inverse problem offers an alternative approach to clarify this relationship. Developed for structural dynamics, the inverse dynamics problem translates measurements of local state variables (at the cell level) into an unknown or …

Imaging Radiation Pneumonitis In A Rat Model Of A Radiological Terrorism Incident, Robert C. Molthen, Qingping Wu, Gary S. Krenz, Meetha Medhora, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, John E. Moulder

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We have developed a rat model of single, sub-lethal thoracic irradiation. Our irradiation protocol is considered representative of exposures near the detonation site of a dirty bomb or small nuclear device. The model is being used to investigate techniques for identifying, triaging and treating possible victims. In addition to physiological markers of right ventricular hypertrophy, pulmonary vascular resistance, and arterial distensibility, we present two methods for quantifying microvascular density. We used methods including microfocal X-ray imaging to investigate changes in lung structure/function resulting from radiation exposure. Radiation pneumonitis is a complication in subjects receiving thoracic irradiation. A radiographic hallmark of …