Digital Commons Network^™

Service Supply Chain Management : A Hierarchical Decision Modeling Approach, Roger Angel Solano-Cayama

Dissertations

A Service Supply Chain (SSC) may be described as a network of service provider facilities (in-house or outsourced), each of which is able to process one or more service tasks on an as needed basis. Two key characteristics of a SSC are (i) the business service is decomposable into several sequential tasks that can be processed by different service providers, and (ii) the primary capacity resource is skilled labor. SSCs are increasingly being developed by companies that experience a high variability of demand for their services (e.g., loan processing, analytical consulting services, emergency repair crews, claims processing, etc.). Typically, the …

Investigation Into The Acupuncture And Meridian System, Jingong Pan

Dissertations

The Meridian system conceived by the ancient Chinese has been described and referenced for more than a thousand years. The Meridians meaning paths are the main trunks that run longitudinally within the body. The Meridian system consists of about 400 acupuncture nodes and 20 Meridian channels connecting most of these points. It deals with the routing and distribution of certain signals that may affect physiological functions. It integrates meridians, tissues and organs into a complex system.

Initially, modeling of the acupuncture system is investigated. The physical effect of injecting an acupuncture needle at a node is suggested by an equivalent …

Modeling Edge Effects Of Mesa Diodes For Silicon Photovoltaics, Jesse S. Appel

Dissertations

A mesa diode has been modeled and its performance under dark and illuminated conditions has been simulated using a commercial finite element software package. These simulations have led to a determination of the self-consistent solution to the continuity equations for electrons and holes using the steady-state drift-diffusion model for carrier dynamics coupled with electric potential determined from Poisson's equation. The purpose of these simulations has been to determine the influence of edge conditions on the overall performance of mesa diodes under dark and illuminated conditions.

Mesa diode arrays are fabricated on crystalline silicon solar cells. They are an array of …

Ionic Liquids As Additives For Biodegradable Polyactic Acid, Ku-Il Park

Dissertations

In this study, two ionic liquids (IL) with different anions (decanoate, tetrafluoroborate) but with the same phosphonium based cation were evaluated as potential plasticizers and lubricants for polylactic acid (PLA) and also for their effects on its hydrolytic and thermal degradation. Both ILs at 5wt% were well dispersible and partly miscible with PLA as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray scattering, SEMIEDX, and glass transition temperature, T_g, characterization, as well as from solubility parameters calculations.

The effects of the IL containing a decanoate anion were more pronounced on lubrication and degradation as evidenced by reduced melt viscosities …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Atmospheric Pressure Chemically Vapor Deposited Aluminum, Sipeng Gu

Dissertations

This study investigates the use of atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) to produce high quality aluminum coatings for corrosion protection of steel. The coatings were produced through thermal decomposition of tri-isobutyl-aluminum (TIBAL) over the 275 to 300°C temperature range. Under optimal deposition conditions, growth rates as high as 1.2 um/min were achieved. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, auger electron spectroscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis revealed that the coatings consisted essentially of pure aluminum (~99 at.%) with oxygen and carbon present as minor constituents. The coatings were characterized in terms of their morphological, structural, electrical, and mechanical …

Classification Of Hand Held Shapes And Locations In Continuous Signing, Swetha Karri

Theses

Sign language for the deaf and hearing impaired replaces speech with manually produced signs. Each sign has been categorized as being combinations of handshape, movement, orientation, location, and facial expressions. Of the five sign parameters, this thesis focuses on classification of two of the main parameters, the hand shapes and locations, in continuous signing.

Since the nature of hand shapes is transient and not static, neural networks was used as a classifier for hand shapes. And since locations in sign language are defined by linguistic variables rather than by hard core position values, fuzzy logic was used as a classifier …

Precipitation Of Ultrafine Particles Using Liquid Antisolvent With Concentric Ultrasonic Nozzle And Subcritical Co2, Satya Chaitanya Kunchala

Theses

Nanotechnology has become more relevant in the pharmaceutical industry. Almost 40% of the drugs developed by pharmaceutical industries are poorly soluble in water which limits the bioavailability of these drugs in body fluids. Hence, it is necessary to reduce the particle size, which increases the interfacial surface area. This work focuses on micronization of class ii drug Griseofulvin which is poorly water soluble. Two processes namely, liquid antisolvent precipitation using ultrasonic nozzle and other process using subcritical CO₂ have been used to produce ultrafine particles of this drug.

In liquid antisolvent precipitation, a combination of ultrasound, polymer and surfactant …

Photoplethysmorgraph-Derived Respiration, Priyanka Pankaj Shah

Theses

Stress & Motivated Behavioral Institute (SMBI) has developed a research program to provide an objective evaluation of the physiological and neurocognitive impact of human electromuscular muscular interference (HEMI) devices in humans. The initial step is to understand their physiological impact, which is characterized by vital signs. Volunteers are recruited from HEMI training programs with the provision that data collection can not interfere with training. Thus, an ambulatory system was assembled. There are two main issues in the current ambulatory system, one of which is the reliability of the respiration signal obtained using a strain gauge respiration band, mainly due to …

Research On Logistic Management In Deltai Medical Company, Yan Hu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interoperability Measurement, Thomas C. Ford

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents an inaugural general method of measuring the collaborative and confrontational interoperability of a heterogeneous set of systems in the context of an operational process. The method is holistic, fundamental, flexible, and mathematical in nature and accommodates all types of systems and interoperations. The method relates the interoperability measurement to measures of operational effectiveness for confrontational operational processes. Extant leveling methods of describing interoperability are shown to be a special case of the more general method given in this research and the general interoperability measurement method is demonstrated through the presentation of coalition interoperability, suppression of enemy air …

Accelerated Life Testing Of Electronic Revenue Meters, Venkata Chaluvadi

All Theses

Electricity meters are devices that continuously record electrical energy consumption. In the past, meters have been of electromechanical type and consisted windings and moving parts. Electromechanical meters tend to be bulky, less accurate and more susceptible to tampering. As with other aging power system infrastructure in the US, most electricity meters are around 40 years old and are nearing the end of their intended lifespan. Concerns over the accuracy of these electromechanical meters along with advances in technology have led to development of new electronic meters which have additional benefits such as light weight, tamper-proof mechanisms, harmonic detection and Advanced …

Modeling Systems For Optimal Resource Allocation, Scheduling, And Decision Making, Esengul Tayfur

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the resource requirements and scheduling problem for logistic systems. We investigate solutions to this problem in two different logistic systems: logistic system of the health care facilities during emergency evacuations and delivery and distribution system of production industries. All hospitals must have an evacuation plan to ensure the safety of patients and prevent the loss of life. However, hospital operators have not been able to quantify how resource availability, the cost of acquiring those resources, and evacuation completion time are related. This research addresses this problem and contributes two methodologies to solve this problem. In the …

Evaluation Of Warm Asphalt Additives On Performance Properties Of Crm Binders And Mixtures, Chandra Akisetty

All Dissertations

The Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies have gained increasing popularity in recent years because of its unique property to allow the reduction in mixing and compaction temperatures of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixtures without compromising the quality of the mix. On the other hand, one of the reasons for utilizing the Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) asphalt mixtures is that it increases the durability of the pavement by reducing the cracking and rutting potential of the pavement. However the CRM mixtures require a high mixing and compaction temperatures compared to the conventional HMA. Since the temperature requirements for CRM mixtures are …

The Effects Of Crumb Rubber Particles On Highway Noise Reduction - A Laboratory Study, Khaldoun Shatanawi

All Dissertations

Traffic noise is a major setback to the life quality of residents living in the vicinity of highways. Over the past 40 years, much legislation has been passed to regulate sound levels to which residents are exposed. Among the many approaches adopted to alleviate the problem, crumb rubber modified asphalt has been proposed as a measure to reduce highway traffic noise.
The use of crumb rubber modified asphalt to reduce traffic noise on pavements had not been evaluated in great detail prior to this study. This research investigates the effects of crumb rubber particles on asphalt pavement noise absorption ability. …

The Spaceflight Environment And The Skeletal System, Eric Bandstra

All Dissertations

The spaceflight environment presents many challenges to the human body. Bone loss in astronauts is a well known consequence of reduced loading in the weightless environment of low-earth orbit. Recent studies have also indicated that spaceflight relevant types of radiation (at relatively high doses) have deleterious effects on trabecular bone. Both of these represent potential skeletal challenges during long-duration spaceflight. The objective of these studies is to examine the response of bone to models of the spaceflight environment.
Astronauts will likely absorb doses of protons and heavy ions during lengthy missions outside the Earth's magnetosphere. Following exposure to a range …

Role Of Food Neophobia, Food Attitudes And Written Information On The Acceptance Of Novel Fish Products : A Cross-Cultural Study, Koei Kudo

Dissertations and Theses

The present research used an integrative and multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the relations among food attitudes, food neophobia and acceptance of novel and familiar albacore tuna dishes for Japanese and U.S. consumers.

A pilot study selected seasonings and cooking methods that were familiar or novel to each culture, and identified the most relevant health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (FA).

The main study employed a self-reported, web-based questionnaire where back-translation maximized the cross-cultural equivalency of US and Japanese versions. Scales of food neophobia (Crystallized Neophobia Scale, or CNS) and attitudes towards foods (Health-, Pleasure- and Convenience-Oriented Food Attitudes Scale, or …

Etsu Gearup: The Design And Development Of An Alternative Energy Greenhouse., Garth Ross Ghearing

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

East Tennessee State has partnered with David Crockett High School through the Federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. This year's project is an alternative energy greenhouse, which incorporates solar panels and a wind turbine. The focus is on familiarizing students with control systems including programmable logic controllers and power management. There is also an emphasis on the importance of green engineering.

The high school's students have been involved in the design and development of every aspect of the system. The development of the system is ongoing and will be further integrated into classes in the fall semester. …

Case History And Numerical Analysis Of Trench Collapse In Japan, Sahaphol Timpong, Kazuya Itoh, Yasuo Toyosawa

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents a case history of trench collapse occurred during trench excavation in soft ground. The development of settlement and horizontal displacement, the generation of pore water pressure during the construction and mechanism of trench collapse are investigated by means of centrifuge modeling and numerical analysis. It is found that the combination of centrifuge modeling and in-flight sand hopper can provide dramatic result for simulation of the trench collapse. Based on the results, it is verified that the occurrence of trench collapse is mainly caused by the excessive surcharge load of excavated material stockpiled on top of the trench.

Table Of Contents, Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

General Report — Session 8: Projects Of Washington, District Of Columbia, Maryland And Virginia Forensic Geotechnical Engineering Health Monitoring And Retrofit Of Infrastructure, Sissy Nikolaou, Mary Perlea

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

An Investigation On Failure Of Embankments In Bangladesh, Zakaria Hossain, Zahurul Islam, Toshinori Sakai

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The study presents the results of case histories on failure of embankments in Bangladesh based on the field visits to the embankments sites, collected data and information on failure of embankments necessary data related to embankments construction practice obtained from available publications and soil conditions of the breached embankments in Bangladesh. Efforts have been made to discuss briefly the causes of embankment failure and its possible remedial measures. Two recent failures of embankments that occurred in the year 2007 are taken into consideration for a detailed study. For each case, embankment failure mechanism, construction method used for the embankments, soil …

Case History Of Labor Accident Due To Slope Failure During Slope Excavation And Its Countermeasure Work, Kazuya Itoh, Sahaphol Timpong, Yasuo Toyosawa

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

About 15 to 20 workers die annually in labor accidents attributed to slope failure or rock fall during slope excavations in Japan. In this paper, a case history of slope failure occurred during the reconstruction of retaining wall is presented. The geotechnical centrifuge model tests are conducted to investigate the mechanism of slope failure. This paper focuses on the influence of wall stiffness and embedded depths of sheet piles or pipes on the prevention of slope failure. Based on the centrifuge test, it was found that the simple temporary wall used during the trench excavation in this case history could …

Support Of Rock Cuts At Washington-Dulles International Airport, J. Sturman, E. B. Rehwoldt, C. D. Martin

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Expansions at the Washington-Dulles International Airport since 1999 have required extensive vertical, open-cut rock excavations in Triassic age siltstone bedrock. These excavations have extended to depths of up to approximately 65 ft (20 m) adjacent to existing infrastructure for construction of new below-ground stations for the new Automated People Mover (APM) light rail system. The selection of design support pressures for the rock excavations was an important decision, balancing the projects’ risks and construction costs. At the center of this issue was the development of a geotechnical model of the rock mass and its primary failure mechanism. Thus, a comprehensive …

Degradation Of Axial Shaft Capacity Of Piles In Soft Clay Due To Cyclic Loading, Paul Doherty, Kenneth Gavin

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents details of the installation and axial compressive cyclic load tests performed on the UCD 76mm diameter highly instrumented steel pile at a soft clay test site in Belfast. Lateral stress measurements and pore pressures are obtained through pressure transducers mounted diametrically opposite each other in the pile wall at three levels. The pore pressures during installation are seen to drop off as pile-slip occurs for a given jacking stroke before rising to higher ultimate values, resulting in a brittle load response. Following an equalisation period two cyclic load tests were performed, where the loads were applied from …

Josef Exploration Drift – From Exploration Of Gold To Unique Facility For Geotechnical Research, Education And Training, Jiri Slovak, Jiri Svoboda, Radek Vasicek, Pavla Bauerova

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The Josef exploration drift was established in the 1980s for the underground exploration of gold deposits, the largest gold deposits in Central Europe. From 2005 to the beginning of 2007 the drift was transformed into an educational and research facility. The Josef Underground Educational Facility is intended to be a multidisciplinary workplace. Its main use c

Design And Performance Of Deep Excavations In Soft Clays, Kjell Karlsrud, Lars Andresen

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The paper discusses major design aspects related to deep excavations in soft clays including; bottom heave stability; deformations and loads on the supporting structure; methods to improve stability and limit displacements; lessons learned from failures; and fi-nally design principles and safety aspects. The various issues are illustrated by both parametric finite element studies and experiences gained from specific case histories. The results show a strong correlation between bottom heave stability, loads and dis-placements, and significant arching effects when the bottom heave safety factor is low. 2 and 3D FEM analyses confirm the applicability of traditional limit equilibrium bottom heave stability …

Predicting Hydraulic Fracturing In Hyttejuvet Dam, S. Mohsen Haeri, Danial Faghihi

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Hydraulic fracturing can occur in the clay core of earth and rockfill dams if the vertical effective stress in the core is reduced to the levels that are small enough to allow a tensile fracture to occur due to hydraulic pressure of the seeping water. This situation may arise if the total stress in the core is reduced by the “arching effect” where the core settles relative to the filter or rock-fill shell of the dam. Water pressure increase in the core which occurs on first impounding of water, may reduce effective stresses further, and if they reach low enough …

Subject Areas Of Geotechnological Engineering (Ge) With Case Studies W.R.T. Indian Scenario. Case Study Of Recharging Surface Ground Water At Source, Ensuring No Contamination Of Water (A Ge Subject), B. N. Moolchandani

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Engineering Geology, Geophysics, Hydrology and Geochemistry are Main Benches of Geotechnical Engineering. Field Areas are:- Foundation Engineering, Excavation & Tunneling, Embankments and Dams, Improvement of Soft Soil Ground & Sub Grade System (Railways Highways), Disposal of Wastes (Land Fills, Tailings), Landslides, Earthquake-Geotechnology, Environmental Geotechnology Quality Evaluation of Existing Facilities, & Under Ground Construction. India has vast land area of about 3.4 million Sq.km. with in length of about 4000 km, with all fields of soil mechanics & rock mechanics. Case histories of all subjects of Geotechnical Engineering exists in India from north to south [Himalayan area in north to Indian …

Lessons Learned From Closing Three Major Landfills – The Devil Really Is In The Details, R. Jeffrey Dunn

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

During the past 30 years the author has been involved in a number of landfill closure projects. No two were ever the same, and all were interesting. Three closure projects stand out for the level of effort involved, the rigor of regulatory review, and the issues that occurred during construction, a number of which could have been headed off during design. One site was a major hazardous waste disposal facility and Superfund site; the second, the Fresno Sanitary Landfill, was the oldest sanitary landfill for municipal solid waste in the United States, having opened in 1937 and is also a …

Excavation And Shoring Support For The National Institutes Of Health East Redundancy Loop Project At Building 10 On N.I.H. Campus In Bethesda, Maryland, Cory Surber, Mo Hosseini

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) Utility Tunnel development consists of an underground concrete utility vault (measuring approximately 44 ft long by 25 to 32 ft wide) and tunnel (measuring about 30 ft long by 16 ft wide). The overall structure extends 28 feet below existing grade and 16 feet below the existing tunnel located on the National Institutes of Health Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The proposed tunnel/vault structure is supported by a 2.5 foot thick mat foundation. The top 24 feet of soil consists primarily of fill material, a mixture of silty sand and sandy silt with an underlying …