Digital Commons Network^™

Updating Procedures To Estimate And Forecast Vehicle-Miles Traveled, Jon D. Fricker, Raymond K. Kumapley

JTRP Technical Reports

Procedures developed for the estimation of Vehicle-Miles of Travel (VMT) have been fraught with problems of inaccuracy. Emphasis on environmental issues (air quality), as mandated by current regulations (CAAA, ISTEA-91, and TEA 21), requires State DOTs to accurately estimate travel on their highway infrastructure. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed, and subsequently modified, the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) to assist in data collection and reporting. INDOT currently estimates VMT by a method that closely follows the HPMS method. Roads that are not on the state highway system (minor collectors, urban collectors and local) are not represented in the …

Validation, Calibration, And Evaluation Of Its Technologies On The Borman Corridor, Srinivas Peeta, Pengchang Zhang, Raghubhushan K. Pasupathy

JTRP Technical Reports

This study develops an Internet-based remote on-line traffic control architecture for route guidance in large-scale traffic systems equipped with advanced information systems and sensors. It also proposes to use the Beowulf Cluster paradigm as an economical, flexible, and customizable computing architecture to generate supercomputing capabilities within the control architecture. The Beowulf Cluster provides the enabling environment to execute and coordinate the activities of the various modules that address real-time network route guidance, data transmission, calibration and fault tolerance. In the context of large-scale traffic systems, a Beowulf Cluster can be configured in centralized as well as decentralized on-line control architectures …

Guidelines For Use And Types Of Retaining Devices, Antonio Bobet

JTRP Technical Reports

A large number of types of retaining devices are currently available but their limitations, recommendations and guidelines are scattered in the technical literature. A synthesis study has been made in which different technologies have been investigated to develop guidelines for the use of the different types of retaining devices. For this purpose, an extensive literature review has been performed and a new classification has been proposed. An electronic database with 207 selected cases from the technical literature and INDOT archives has been created. The database stores the following information: (1) Type of Retaining Device; (2) Geometry (3) Soil conditions; (4) …

Internet-Supported Evaluation Of Highway Safety, Andrzej P. Tarko, Brian Desalle

JTRP Technical Reports

Few current methods of identifying hazardous locations take into account the perspective of highway users. It is generally accepted by human factor experts that user feedback can provide valuable insight into safety at highway locations that is not obtainable through the use of crash data. However, little research has been conducted in the highway transportation area, and the relationship between user perception and actual safety at a location is not well known. Currently, motorist feedback in Indiana is gathered by individual highway agencies through the use of a phone and mail collection process. A centralized feedback collection would not only …

Evaluation Of Selected Video Detection Systems At Signalized Intersections, Jeromy L. Grenard, Darcy M. Bullock, Andrzej P. Tarko

JTRP Technical Reports

Video detection technologies have been emerging in recent years as a viable alternative to inductive loop detectors to actuate intersection signal controllers. There is a need for quantitative evaluation procedures for documenting the performance of video detection technologies. This quantitative data is needed to qualify systems for procurement and provide benchmarks for training traffic signal technicians that deploy and maintain these systems. This research makes use of two new evaluation procedures for video detection, with several measures of performance. The first of these evaluation procedures involves the comparison of the occupancy times of inductive loop detectors and video detectors to …

Counting Device Selection And Reliability: Synthesis Study, Srinivas Peeta, Pengchang Zhang

JTRP Technical Reports

Accuracy in traffic data detection is important for transportation operations and planning. Currently, inductive loop detectors are the most commonly used traffic counting devices in the field. New technologies are being developed to meet growing data counting and traffic surveillance needs. They include passive infrared, active infrared, passive magnetic, Doppler microwave, radar, passive acoustic, pulse and Doppler ultrasonic and video image processor. However, the relatively recent, but widespread, emergence of these technologies and the consequent sparseness in information on their performance characteristics preclude traffic agencies from making informed choices in the selection of traffic counting devices. This study performs a …

Femtosecond Laser Utilization Methods And Apparatus And Method For Producing Nanoparticles, Dennis R. Alexander

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The present invention teaches various femtosecond machining and drilling apparatus and processes for fabricating tools and the like from both traditional and non-traditional materials. Also described are novel tools such as scalpels, and nozzles fabricated from the apparatus and processes of the present invention. Likewise, the present invention may be utilized in both a novel propulsion system and the production of materials formed from nanometer sized particles and the like.

Chemical Partitioning During Crystallization And Its Effect On The Microstructure And Magnetic Behavior Of Modified Nd–Fe–B Permanent Magnets, Jeffrey E. Shield, B. B. Kappes, D. J. Branagan, J. Bentley

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this paper, the effect of alloy composition on the microstructural development of devitrified Nd–Fe–B-based alloys is investigated. While crystallization of simple ternary Nd₂Fe₁₄B resulted in a highly variable microstructure and relatively poor demagnetization behavior, alloying additions, notably Ti and C, were found to significantly refine and homogenize the crystallized microstructure. High spatial resolution energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that partitioning to the grain boundaries led to the grain refinement by slowing interface kinetics. The more homogeneous grain structure resulted in improved demagnetization behavior, but segregating elements isolated grains and limited intergranular exchange coupling.

A Hybrid System Theoretic Approach For Admission Controller Design In Multimedia Networks, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel real-time discrete-event admission control (AC) scheme for high-speed networks is proposed with the aim of attaining a desired quality of service (QoS) and high network utilization. The AC uses the available capacity from a novel adaptive bandwidth estimation scheme, a congestion indicator derived from a congestion controller, peak bit/cell rate (PBR/PCR) estimate from new sources, along with the desired QoS metrics, and makes decisions whether to 'admit' or 'reject' new sources. The novel aspect of the proposed approach is the application of hybrid system theory to prove the performance of the admission controller, stability and the development of …

Biological Fixed Film Systems, Mark W. Fitch, Ellen England

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of An Interactive Computerized Multimedia Tutorial On Knowledge Gain In Modular Fixturing Design Concepts, Veekit O'Charoen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to compare student knowledge gain from learning modular fixturing design concepts by computer tutorial versus traditional lecture. The use of computer tutorial to support engineering and technology classroom instructions has been a major issue for many studies. The undergraduate curricula in engineering and technology are becoming increasingly complex due to the today's modern wide variety of manufacturing processes. The concept of modular fixturing in tool design course is one of the technical competencies which most industries would like graduates to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world problems and situations.

An interactive computerized multimedia tutorial …

Video Indexing And Retrieval Techniques Using Novel Approaches To Video Segmentation, Characterization, And Similarity Matching, Waleed Ezzat Farag

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Multimedia applications are rapidly spread at an ever-increasing rate introducing a number of challenging problems at the hands of the research community, The most significant and influential problem, among them, is the effective access to stored data. In spite of the popularity of keyword-based search technique in alphanumeric databases, it is inadequate for use with multimedia data due to their unstructured nature. On the other hand, a number of content-based access techniques have been developed in the context of image indexing and retrieval; meanwhile video retrieval systems start to gain wide attention, This work proposes a number of techniques constituting …

Restoration Of The Lorentzian And Debye Curves Of Dielectrics And Magnetics For Fdtd Modeling, Marina Koledintseva, Konstantin Rozanov, James L. Drewniak, Gabriele Di Fazio

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The algorithms of extracting the Lorentzianand Debye-curve parameters of dielectric and magnetic materials from the results of measurements at several frequency points are presented. These algorithms are based on an analytical solution of systems of non-linear equations with physical constraints that follow from the fundamental principle of causality. The extracted parameters are useful for FDTD modeling of electromagnetic structures containing such dispersive media. Some examples are presented.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements: Policies And Thresholds, David Kuemmel, Richard Robinson, Ronald C. Sonntag, Robert J. Griffin, James K. Giese

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

A 5-year, pooled fund study with the Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin departments of transportation assessed the public's perceptions of pavement improvement strategies and developed thresholds of satisfaction using the departments' physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition on rural, two-lane highways in the states. Approximately 3,600 drivers in the three states were involved in the three phases of the project, which included 18 focus groups, 400 statewide surveys in each state, and 2,300 targeted surveys across the three states. A multidisciplinary team from Marquette University and a mass media survey lab conducted the studies. A summary of focus group …

A Simulation Program For Electronics Skill Knowledge Instruction At A Selected Community College In Taiwan, Hung-Jen Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since computers came into existence, simulations have been associated with it as the two inseparable media, simulations and computers, have had a mutually beneficial effect. With the advent of the flexible microcomputer, simulation has been widely used. In recent years, computer technology has infiltrated every sector in society, especially the educational system and industrial operations where simulations are essential for satisfying both instructional and industrial needs. Simulation effectiveness research has been mixed in both the educational system and industries. Therefore, it is still necessary to evaluate how effective computer simulation is as an instructional method or strategy.

This study was …

Numerical Studies Of Reactive Polymer Flows In Porous Materials, Honggao Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new numerical model of reactive polymer flow in heterogeneous porous media. A moment representation of the log-normal polymer molecular weight distribution is used to model polymer as a multi-component species. Three leading moments are used to simulate the polymer transport and reaction processes in a two-dimensional porous medium. A new operator splitting technique that allows the moment equations for polymerization to be incorporated into a finite-difference transport model is developed. The novelty of this approach is the use of two different dependent variables (for the transport versus reaction parts of the problem). It is significant from …

Extraction Of Physically-Realistic Pore Network Properties From Three-Dimensional Synchrotron Microtomography Images Of Unconsolidated Porous Media, Riyadh Ibrahim Al-Raoush

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Algorithms were implemented to obtain high resolution three-dimensional images using synchrotron microtomography. Morphological algorithms were developed to extract physically-realistic pore-network structure from unconsolidated porous media systems imaged using synchrotron microtomography. The structure can be used to correlate pore-scale phenomena with the pore structure and can also be incorporated into a pore-network model to verify existing models, understand, or predict transport and flow processes and phenomena in complex porous media systems. The algorithms are based on the three-dimensional skeletonization of the pore space in the form of nodes connected to paths. Dilation algorithms were developed to generate inscribed spheres on the …

Wastewater Plume Dynamics And Bacteria Transport Within The Marshland Upwelling System, Stephen David Richardson

LSU Master's Theses

The marshland upwelling system (MUS) serves as an alternative onsite method for the treatment of domestic wastewater derived from coastal communities. Previous studies on the MUS have focused on the efficacy of the system for the removal of fecal pathogens from settled and secondarily-treated wastewater sources. The objectives of this research were to: 1) characterize the extent of wastewater migration within the MUS, 2) evaluate the effectiveness of the MUS in removing fecal bacteria, 3) identify the mechanisms responsible for fecal coliform retention within the subsurface, and 4) describe the transport of fecal coliforms in a sand media based on …

Prediction Of Transient Head On Seepage Path Using Boundary Fitted Coordinate (Bfc) System, Sherly Hartono

LSU Master's Theses

One of the main causes of levee failure is seepage through levee. This seepage can cause weakening in the levee structure, which in turn can cause sudden levee failure or overtopping of the levee due to levee depression. The purpose of this study is to determine the transient head on the seepage path due to changing water level during flood period. Transient seepage problems are very important as critical condition can occur during this time rather than during steady state condition. Seepage path through a levee can be predicted using the Boundary Fitted Coordinate (BFC) system method. The physical coordinate …

The Interaction Between Hydrology And Water Quality For Urban Rainfall-Runoff: Implications For Management Strategies, Christopher Michael Dean

LSU Master's Theses

In urban environments, anthropogenic activity deposits potentially hazardous residuals onto impervious surfaces. To investigate the process of wet-weather constituent transport, twelve rainfall/runoff events collected at an experimental catchment site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were analyzed for temporal delivery of aggregate constituents (SSC, COD, TDS) as well as dissolved and particulate-bound metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn). Event mean concentrations for the parameters analyzed often exceeded USEPA discharge limits. Rainfall-runoff events were characterized as either mass-limited or flow-limited. Events designated as mass-limited exhibited a high runoff volume, low vehicle to volume ratio (VPV), high stream power and a low correlation …

Development Of A Magnetite Tracer Protocol For Seasonal Measurement Of Bed Sediment Biodiffusion Coefficients, Paul D. Libbers

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis describes the development of a particle tracer technique for making short-term, in situ measurements of aquatic bed sediment biodiffusion coefficients. The bioturbation process in the upper sediment layers of streams, lakes, estuaries, and the marine environment moves particles and porewater. When present, organic chemicals, metals, colloids, etc., are transported across these layers and exchanges may occur at the sediment-water interface. Fickian biodiffusion coefficients that characterize such particle movements, Db (cm2/yr), are used for assessing chemical diagenesis rates and contaminant fluxes and are specific to each site. Chemical Fate and Transport (CFaT) models, developed for tracking contaminants in aquatic …

Evaluation Of The Hydrocarbon Potential In Low-Salinity Shaly Sand, Fnu Kurniawan

LSU Master's Theses

This research utilizes reservoir data from an oilfield in Indonesia, which is characterized by shaly sand and low salinity formation water. Both low salinity and shaliness reduce the resistivity contrast between oil and water. The aim of this research was to build a comprehensive interpretation algorithm to evaluate the shaly-sand reservoir in a low salinity formation water using limited well log data. Shaly-sand interpretation is still evolving with numerous researchers conducting investigations of the clay minerals effect on rock conductivity through theoretical and experimental approach. These investigations can be loosely divided into either Fractional Shale Volume models or the Cation …

Fecal Coliform Decay And Regrowth Kinetics In An Anaerobic Dairy Wastewater Environment, Shufang Liu

LSU Master's Theses

The kinetics of fecal coliforms (FC) decay and regrowth were analyzed under laboratory conditions using filtered dairy wastewater under anaerobic conditions. The mean specific growth rates during the regrowth phase, µr , in the batch study were 1.79, 1.46, and 1.27d-1 for initial organic carbon concentrations of 478, 235 and 127 mg/L COD, respectively. The substrate concentrations had a significant impact on the FC regrowth. A maximum specific growth rate (mmax) of 1.92 d-1, and half-saturated coefficient (ks) of 60.92mg/L were determined from these data. The mean dark FC decay rate coefficients, kd , at 35oC in the batch study …

Geostatistical Shale Models For A Deltaic Reservoir Analog: From 3d Gpr Data To 3d Flow Modeling, Hongmei Li

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of shales on fluid flow in marine-influenced lower delta-plain distributary channel deposits are investigated using a three-dimensional ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data volume from the Cretaceous-age Ferron sandstone at Corbula Gulch in central Utah, USA. Using interpreted GPR data, we formulate a geostatistical model of the dimensions, orientations, and geometries of the internal structure from the subaerial exposure surface down to about 12 m depth. The correlation function between GPR instantaneous amplitude and shale index is built after statistical calibration of the GPR attributes (amplitude) with well data (gamma ray logs). Shale statistics are computed from this correlation function. …

High Resolution Modeling Of Transport In Porous Media, Guangli Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents research on the pore-level modeling of transport in porous media. The focus of this work is on high-resolution modeling, a rigorous approach that represents detailed geometry and first-principle physics at the streamline scale. Three major topics are presented in this dissertation: an efficient approach for solving Stokes flow in essentially arbitrary disordered porous media, high-resolution versus network simulations of dispersion phenomena, and a stochastic model for solving interfacial mass transfer from source spheres in porous media. First an approach was developed for solving the Stokes flow problem in a comparatively large, very heterogeneous two-dimensional porous media with …

Nitrification Rates In A Reversed-Flow, Spouted-Bed, Bioreactor Applied To Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Jonathan Thomas Scott

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of media selection and organic loading on nitrification rates in a reversed-flow, three-phase, spouted-bed, bioreactor with draft-tube (A-1 Aquaculture Continuous-Cleaning Multifunctional Biofilter or CCMB) were studied. Experiments were conducted on three identical recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) each having a CCMB unit with a unique plastic pelletized media and operated over five successive trials with varying components and operating conditions. Based upon organic loading, three of the five trials were grouped into two organic loading regimes of approximately 91 mg/L COD and 149 mg/L COD. Comparing nitrification rates against the three media types by organic loading showed that media …

Numerical Study Of Water Coning Control With Downhole Water Sink (Dws) Completions In Vertical And Horizontal Wells, Solomon Ovueferaye Inikori

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Approximately 2.5 billion dollars is spent annually to solve the problem of produced water in oil and gas wells. Downhole Water Sink (DWS) technology is one industry solution to control water coning in oil wells. DWS technology involves the segregated production of oil and water through separate completions with zonal isolation packer. However, several problems have been experienced in the application of the technology in watered-out oil wells. This study identified two factors that could aid in a better modeling of the technology in old vertical wells – inclusion of capillary transition pressures and relative permeability hysteresis. It also identified …

The Effects Of Local Hydrodynamics On Mass Transfer In Disordered Porous Media, Gang Guo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interfacial mass transfer in disordered media was studied experimentally and numerically. The dissolution of solid benzoic acid spheres in packed columns showed the existence of spatial variations in mass transfer coefficients in monodisperse and polydisperse packings at the same overall Peclet number. The concept of a local Peclet number (single-particle average) was introduced to quantify the effect of local hydrodynamics on local mass transfer. Correlations between Sherwood number and Peclet number having the form Sh_i=A·(x_iPe)^m were used to quantify data from various sites in each packing. These experiments also showed that the exponent m varies …

Numerical Reservoir Characterization Using Dimensionless Scale Numbers With Application In Upscaling, Djuro Novakovic

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dimensionless space provides a tool for analyzing the behavior of complex systems described by mathematical relationships. The limited application of dimensionless variables in numerical reservoir simulation and experimental design motivated the development of a complete set of dimensionless scaling groups. Inspectional analysis yielded 8 dimensionless groups completely describing the flow system. Further analysis of fluid interaction reduced the number of dimensionless groups to 7. The newly developed dimensionless equations and groups were used for analytical and numerical reservoir characterization, quantifying the behavior of differential and difference equations employed in fluid flow in three-dimensional porous media. The behavior of the dimensionless …