Digital Commons Network^™

The Transcendental Eigenvalue Problem And Its Application In System Identification, Kumar Vikram Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An accurate mathematical model is needed to solve direct and inverse problems related to engineering analysis and design. Inverse problems of identifying the physical parameters of a non-uniform continuous system based on the spectral data are still unsolved. Traditional methods, for the system identification purpose, describe the continuous structure by a certain discrete model. In dynamic analysis, finite element or finite difference approximation methods are frequently used and they lead to an algebraic eigenvalue problem. The characteristic equation associated with the algebraic eigenvalue problem is a polynomial. Whereas, the spectral characteristic of a continuous system is represented by certain transcendental …

Progressive Fatigue Effects On Manual Lifting Factors, Anthony D'Wayne Banks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much evidence suggests that the cause of lower back pain (LBP) and injury is frequently related to the posture of lifting, the load, muscle fatigue, and other factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of progressive fatigue on factors that have previously been associated with increased risk of LBP in various occupational settings, during a repetitive lifting task where freestyle lifting technique was utilized. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate several fatigue analysis, electromyography amplitude, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of repetitive freestyle lifting during a 2-hour lifting period. Each of ten (10) young adult male …

Arithmetic Logic Unit (Alu) Design Using Reconfigurable Cmos Logic, Chandra Srinivasan

LSU Master's Theses

Using the reconfigurable logic of multi-input floating gate MOSFETs, a 4-bit ALU has been designed for 3V operation. The ALU can perform four arithmetic and four logical operations. Multi- input floating gate (MIFG) transistors have been promising in realizing increased functionality on a chip. A multi- input floating gate MOS transistor accepts multiple inputs signals, calculates the weighted sum of all input signals and then controls the ON and OFF states of the transistor. This enhances the transistor function to more than just switching. This changes the way a logic function can be realized. Implementing a design using multi-input floating …

Treatment Of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds Using Wetland Systems, Gabriel Roderick Kassenga

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Bench-scale continuous vertical flow column and microcosm studies were conducted to investigate the attenuation potential of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) in constructed wetland soil mixtures prepared from peat, compost and sand and in a pristine natural freshwater wetland soil. The study also determined geotechnical properties of potential synthetic peat mixtures for construction of treatment wetlands for CVOCs. Trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) were the main test chemicals used during the studies. Based on geotechnical and sorption characteristics, two mixtures (one comprised of sand and peat and the other comprised of sand, peat and compost product) were selected …

Optimization And Automation Of A Thermal Oyster Shucking Process, Daniel Edgar Martin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Louisiana Gulf Coast oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were subjected to thermal shucking treatments to effect adductor muscle release from both left and right valves. The oysters were instrumented with thermocouples to monitor and record process temperatures in the oysters and on the shell. Following treatment, the oysters were evaluated for relaxation and release of the adductor muscle, meat quality and texture, and for the effect of the treatments on the storage life of the oysters as measured by total microbial plate counts. The treatments of many oysters resulted in a complete release of the adductor muscle from the shell while maintaining …

Tensile Strength And Bonding Characteristics Of Self-Compacting Concrete, Cristian Druta

LSU Master's Theses

Self-compacting concrete, also referred to as self-consolidating concrete, is able to flow and consolidate under its own weight and is deaerated almost completely while flowing in the formwork. It is cohesive enough to fill the spaces of almost any size and shape without segregation or bleeding. This makes SCC particularly useful wherever placing is difficult, such as in heavily-reinforced concrete members or in complicated workforms. The objectives of this research were to compare the Splitting Tensile Strength and Compressive Strength values of self-compacting and normal concrete specimens and to examine the bonding between the coarse aggregate and the cement paste …

Modeling A Mississippi River Diversion Into A Louisiana Wetland, Stephan Alexander Capps

LSU Master's Theses

Wetland loss has significant impacts. Numerous loss mechanisms have been hypothesized, and a greater number of solutions have been proposed. One proposed solution is to divert river water into a degraded area with the intent of increasing sedimentation, introducing nutrients, and/or decreasing salinity within the wetland. However, wetland hydraulics and hydrology are complex processes and any hydrologic modification may result in unintended consequences. Predicting these consequences can be problematic due to the complexity and difficulty associated with proper modeling of the hydraulics and topography. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the suitability of established one- and two-dimensional …

Clay Landfill Liners Subject To Variable Interfacial Redox And Ph Conditions-Heavy Metal And Clay Interactions, Ping Zhou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Municipal landfill leachate contains high levels of metal species, including Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb generating competitive interactions between these metal species and the landfill clay liner materials. Characterization of the clay fraction, physical and chemical characteristics of landfill clay liner materials, the competitive interaction of metal species with clay liner materials, the kinetic modeling of metal species transport in clay liner, and the effect of cyclic interfacial redox potential on the structural changes to the clay liner and leachate metal transport were investigated in this study. The clay liner materials studied included Na-bentonite, kaolinite and Amite soil (sandy silty …

Climatological Study Of Transport To The Pico-Nare Site Using Atmospheric Backward Trajectories, Robert Christopher Owen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This study developed a transport climatology to the PICO-NARE station, in the central North Atlantic Ocean, using a 40-year set of atmospheric back trajectories. The trajectory set was subjected to a cluster analysis in order to group trajectories into six flow patterns, or clusters. An air flow probability analysis was conducted in conjunction with the cluster analysis in order to determine the source regions for flow to the site. Seasonal differences in the flow patterns were found, which included enhanced westerly flow in the winter, decreased westerly flow in the summer, and spring and fall having moderate westerly flow. The …

Application Of A Finite Element Model Update Technique To Detect Damage In A Beam Structure, Madhu Kumar Vattipulusu

Masters Theses

"The interest in the ability to monitor a structure and detect damage at the earliest possible stage is pervasive throughout the civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering communities. The thesis focuses on the application of a finite element model updating technique to monitor and detect damage in beams. A Sensitivity Based Element-by- Element (SBEBE) methodology is chosen as the finite element model updating technique. In this method, damage is detected by updating a finite element model with test data obtained from "healthy" and "damaged" structures and observing the relative changes in the updated finite element models. The performance, efficiency and sensitivity …

Novel Concepts For Monitoring The Stability Of Open Pit Mine Highwalls Using Radar Interferometry And Spectral Imaging, Jami Girard Dwyer

Masters Theses

"Ground control problems at surface mining operations can occur for a variety of reasons. The geologic setting, rock strengths, joint spacing, orientation, pore pressures, and many other factors contribute to slope instabilities that range from small rock falls to massive slides of material. While much of this ground movement can be predicted or controlled, each year many completely unexpected failures occur. This poses serious safety and economic issues for the mining industry, since any unanticipated movement of the ground increases the potential for significant property damage, injuries, and even death. In the United States alone, 70 people died in slope …

Evaluation Of Safety Enforcement On Changing Driver Behavior - Runs On Red (1 Of 2 Volumes), Andrzej P. Tarko, Naredla Lakshmi Reddy

JTRP Technical Reports

Red light running (RLR) is a dangerous act. Approximately 22% of urban crashes at signalized intersections are caused nationwide by RLR. Nearly 1,036 deaths were caused nationwide by RLR in the year 2000. Indiana had no previous research conducted in this area; therefore, this research was aimed at estimating the RLR problem in Indiana. The other objectives of this research included: learning drivers’ opinions on the problem, studying the effectiveness of selected countermeasures, and studying the legal issues related to photo-enforcement. A crash statistics study, telephone survey, and extended monitoring of a selected intersection were the three major approaches chosen …

Evaluation Of Safety Enforcement On Changing Driver Behavior - Runs On Red (2 Of 2 Volumes), Robert C. Zahnke, Maria L. Drake, Jose E. Thomaz

JTRP Technical Reports

Red light running (RLR) is a dangerous act. Approximately 22% of urban crashes at signalized intersections are caused nationwide by RLR. Nearly 1,036 deaths were caused nationwide by RLR in the year 2000. Indiana had no previous research conducted in this area; therefore, this research was aimed at estimating the RLR problem in Indiana. The other objectives of this research included: learning drivers’ opinions on the problem, studying the effectiveness of selected countermeasures, and studying the legal issues related to photo-enforcement. A crash statistics study, telephone survey, and extended monitoring of a selected intersection were the three major approaches chosen …

Selected Chemoautotrophic Processes In Wastewater Treatment: Low Temperature Nitrification Inhibition By An Azo Dye And Biofiltration For Odor Control Of Hydrogen Sulfide, Ronald W. Martin Jr.

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Biochemical processes by chemoautotrophs such as nitrifiers and sulfide and iron oxidizers are used extensively in wastewater treatment. The research described in this dissertation involved the study of two selected biological processes utilized in wastewater treatment mediated by chemoautotrophic bacteria: nitrification (biological removal of ammonia and nitrogen) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal from odorous air using biofiltration.

A municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) receiving industrial dyeing discharge containing the azo dye, acid black 1 (AB1) failed to meet discharge limits, especially during the winter. Dyeing discharge mixed with domestic sewage was fed to sequencing batch reactors at 22oC and 7oC. …

The Effectiveness Of Maintenance And Its Impact On Capital Expenditures, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

With ever increasing traffic loadings, highway pavement maintenance needs continue to outpace the availability of resources, and transportation agencies seek cost-effective maintenance practices. This study investigated the effectiveness of maintenance treatments in the short-term and the cost effectiveness of maintenance strategies over entire pavement life. The study also analyzed the relationships and trade-offs between maintenance and capital investments such as pavement rehabilitation, and the trade-offs between preventive and corrective maintenance. These analyses were carried out through a work sequence that included analyses of historical trends, literature review, and a questionnaire survey. The study found that there are significant benefits associated …

Guideline Specifications For Construction And Maintenance Equipment For Street And Highway Work, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

The purpose of this guide is to provide a useful tool for county engineers and supervisors and city and town street commissioners in purchasing equipment.

Simplified Meta-Analysis Of Clinical Trials In Resuscitation, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To present and demonstrate a new simplified method for synthesizing results of multiple clinical trials in resuscitation research. Methods: The mean difference across studies in the proportion of favorable outcomes between experimental and control groups is calculated. This difference is shown to have a t-distribution. Its significance can be ascertained with a simple t-test. The analysis can be implemented in a one-page computer spreadsheet. Results: Simplified meta-analysis provides high sensitivity and can be extended to include weighting of studies according to size or quality, comparison of subgroups of studies, tests for outliers, and calculation of the power of the …

Interposed Abdominal Compression Cpr: A Comprehensive Evidence Based Review, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Interposed abdominal compression (IAC)-CPR includes all steps of standard external CPR with the addition of manual mid-abdominal compressions in counterpoint to the rhythm of chest compressions. IAC-CPR can increase blood flow during CPR about two fold compared to standard CPR without IAC, as shown by 6 of 6 studies in computer models and 19 of 20 studies in various animal models. The addition of IAC has clinical benefit in humans, as indicated in 10 of 12 small to medium sized clinical studies. The technique increases the frequency of immediate return of spontaneous circulation for in-hospital resuscitations from roughly 25% to …

Iddq Testing Of A Cmos 10-Bit Charge Scaling Digital-To-Analog Converter, Srinivas Rao Aluri

LSU Master's Theses

This work presents an effective built-in current sensor (BICS), which has a very small impact on the performance of the circuit under test (CUT). The proposed BICS works in two-modes the normal mode and the test mode. In the normal mode the BICS is isolated from the CUT due to which there is no performance degradation of the CUT. In the testing mode, our BICS detects the abnormal current caused by permanent manufacturing defects. Further more our BICS can also distinguish the type of defect induced (Gate-source short, source-drain short and drain-gate short). Our BICS requires neither an external voltage …

Feasibility Of Radiographic Absorptiometry Of The Mandible As An Osteoporosis Screening Method, Julie A. Skipper

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to develop and evaluate single- and dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry (RA) for the measurement of mandibular bone mineral density (BMD), using standard dental equipment, that would allow for inexpensive and widespread osteoporosis screening. Accurately measured x-ray tube spectra are important for validating the simulations used in the design of the method. A constrained least-squares deconvolution technique for reducing the detector-induced blurring of the energy spectrum was developed. Application of this analytic correction to spectra acquired with a NaI-photomultiplier detector improved the measured data by 20-60%. Implementation of the screening method is accomplished by simultaneously acquiring …

Optimization Model Estimates Of Trunk Muscle Forces Do Not Correlate With Emg Activity Of Females As Well As Males, Mark L. Mcmulkin, Jeffrey C. Woldstad, Richard E. Hughes

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Biomechanical optimization models are often used to estimate muscular and intervertebral disc forces during physical exertions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an optimization-based biomechanical model predicts torso muscular activity of males and females equally well. The Minimum Intensity Compression (MIC) model, which has been extensively applied in industrial ergonomic task analysis, was used to estimate muscle forces for 3D moments. Participants (6 M, 6 F) performed 18 isometric exertions resisting 3D L3/L4 moments while electomyographic( EMG) activity was recorded for 8 muscles. Overall, model force estimates correlated better with male EMG activity (R² = …

Implementation Of The Biological Opinion For The Missouri River Mainstem System, Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the Corps of Engineers (Corps), in coordination with the appropriate resource agencies, will ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally listed threatened or endangered species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. On November 30, 2000, formal consultation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Corps under Section 7 of the ESA culminated with the "Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri River Main Stem System, Operation and Maintenance ofthe Missouri River …

Application And Performance Of Constructed Wetlands For Runoff From Small Open Lots, C. G. Henry, J. P. Harner Iii, T. D. Strahm, M. A. Reynolds

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Vegetative systems have long been studied and evaluated as alternatives to conventional storage, treatment, and land application systems. This paper discusses the application of vegetative systems, primarily constructed wetlands, as a runoff treatment technology for small livestock operations. The approach used for two small dairies and one beef cattle feedlot is discussed. Cost data for these operations is included as well as nutrient reduction performance results from a three year sampling period for the KS Dairy.

A Multi-Class Suspended Particulate Matter Calibration For Bottom Boundary Layers, Philip M. Orton, David A. Jay, D. J. Wilson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a multi-class suspended particulate matter (SPM) calibration for use with in situ water sample SPM concentration data and backscatter (or transmission) from one or more acoustic and optical sensors. The output of this calibration is high-resolution SPM concentration data in several discrete settling velocity (Ws) classes. Separately for each sensor, the calibration involves three steps: (1) a calibration of backscatter to total SPM concentration; (2) a decomposition of resulting concentration data into several Wsclasses, utilizing a dynamical vertical SPM profile model; and (3) a sensor bias calibration where water sample concentration data are used to correct for the …

A University Wide Smart Card System, Philip Cummins

Theses : Honours

Presently, many tertiary educational institutions utilise card technologies for staff and student identification and the support of other related services within the institution. A new type of card technology has been developed known as a Smart Card, where an existing plastic card has an embedded integrated circuit and is capable of expanding the range of applications and services capable within an institution. This thesis will detail the advantages that these new Smart Cards have over existing institution cards, detail other institution's attempts to use Smart Cards and finally, this thesis proposes a suitable system for integrating Smart Cards into an …

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Transmutation Research Program Annual Report 2002, Anthony Hechanova, Elizabeth Johnson, Gary Cerefice

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

The UNLV Transmutation Research Program consists of four components: Program Support, Research Infrastructure Augmentation, International Collaboration, and Student Research.

In the first year of the program, the student research component was supported by the infrastructure augmentation and the program support components. In the second year of the program, the fourth leg of the support system, international collaborations, was added to the research support system.

Neutron Multiplicity Measurements Of Target/Blanket Materials, Carter D. Hull, Denis Beller

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

To optimize the performance of accelerator driven transmutation systems (ADS), engineers will need to design the system to operate with a neutron multiplication factor just below that of a critical, or self-sustaining, system. This design criteria requires particle transport codes that instill the highest level of confidence with minimal uncertainty, because the larger the uncertainties in the codes, the larger the safety margin required in the design and the lower the efficiency of the ADS transmuter. For current design efforts, the MCNPX code is used to determine neutron production and transport for spallation neutron systems.

While providing a very useful …

Inside Unlv, Richard Jensen, Donna Mcaleer, Jennifer Vaughan, Cate Weeks, Carol C. Harter, Jeffrey Koep

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Design And Analysis Of A Process For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The goal of this project is to investigate the casting processes for metallic fuels to help design a process that minimizes the loss of the volatile actinide elements from the fuel.

The research effort centers on the development of advanced numerical models to assess conditions that significantly impact the transport of volatile actinides during the melt casting process and represents a joint effort between researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

Public Street Surveillance: A Psychometric Study On The Perceived Social Risk, David J. Brooks

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Public street surveillance, a domain of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), has grown enormously and is becoming common place with increasing utilization in society as an all-purpose security tool. Previous authors (Ditton, 1999; Davies, 1998; Horne, 1998; Tomkins, 1998) have raised concern over social, civil and privacy issues, but there has been limited research to quantify these concerns. There are a number of core aspects that could relocate the risk perception and therefore, social support of public street surveillance. This study utilized the psychometric paradigm to quantitatively measure the social risk perception of public street surveillance. The psychometric paradigm is a …