Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Methods For Control Of Vegetation In Utility Corridors, George V. Rancea

Master's Projects and Capstones

Vegetation management programs are now one of the largest budget items for most of the utility companies in the United States. Control methods used in line clearance activities include mechanical trimming, planting management, or use of tree growth regulators (chemicals that suppress the production of gibberellins, the plant hormones that control stem elongation). Choosing the appropriate control method is a decision that vegetation program managers should take based on many factors, like costs, environmental impacts, existing agreements with the landowners, terrain, public perception etc. To find a balance between competing interests – a reliable and economic electric system on one …

Effect Of Cellular Phone And Radar Forensics On Search And Rescue Duration For General Aviation Aircraft Accidents In The Contiguous United States, Ryan J. Wallace

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) are generally the primary tool for locating distressed aircrews following an aircraft accident. In 2009, the International COSPAS-SARSAT organization ordered the cessation of 121.5 MHz ELT satellite monitoring to alleviate systemic false alarms and encourage pilots to upgrade ELTs to modern 406 MHz models. While most nations acquiesced to the mandate, the United States encountered severe resistance from pilot groups. As a result, 121.5 MHz ELTs are still in use in the U.S. but remain unmonitored by satellite systems. This study sought to assess the impact of alternative search methods such as radar and cellular phone …

A Mathematical Programming Approach For Dispatching And Relocating Ems Vehicles., Farshad Majzoubi 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We consider the problem of dispatching and relocating EMS vehicles during a pandemic outbreak. In such a situation, the demand for EMS vehicles increases and in order to better utilize their capacity, the idea of serving more than one patient by an ambulance is introduced. Vehicles transporting high priority patients cannot serve any other patient, but those transporting low priority patients are allowed to be rerouted to serve a second patient. We have considered three separate problems in this research. In the first problem, an integrated model is developed for dispatching and relocating EMS vehicles, where dispatchers determine hospitals for …

Dynamic Rating Of Transmission Lines For Improved Wind Energy Integration In Complex Terrain, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Transmission congestion is a growing concern that could limit integration on new renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Because construction of new transmission lines is a long and expensive process, transmission service providers are investigating dynamic line rating (DLR) mehtods that could potentially increase capacity of existing transmission lines. DLR is a smart-grid technology that enables rating of power lines based on real-time conductor temperature that is dependent on local weather conditions. whereas conventional practice relies on a static rating, which is based on conservative local weather assumptions to limit transmission line sag.

With todays improved wind and weather …

Development Of A Visualization System For Highway Safety Management Using Safety Analyst, Indira Khanal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The AASHTOWare software, Safety Analyst, is a state-of-the-art tool with significant capabilities and advanced analytical methods for comprehensive analysis and management of highway safety. However, currently, this tool provides very limited visualization capabilities. To address this limitation, this study proposes a Visualization System for Safety Analyst that provides graphical displays, including location and color-coded information for each module. In addition, the system generates charts, which have various degrees of resolution and aggregation; tables; and a report summarizing safety performance measures. The system can use Google Maps and/or ESRI ArcGIS to generate the graphical displays. The advantage of using Google Maps …

Reconfigurable Antennas For Public Safety And Wireless Gigabit Alliance Applications, Hema Swaroop Mopidevi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main goal of this research is to develop a new type of antenna, called reconfigurable antenna, which can replace multiple antennas required to enhance the effectiveness of a robust communication system. A reconfigurable antenna integrated with switching elements can dynamically change its properties, namely, frequency of operation, radiation pattern (the three-dimensional coverage of antenna), and polarization (the electrical orientation of the antenna). Depending on the requirement, a single antenna can function as multiple antennas, therefore, the name Multi-functional Reconfigurable Antenna (MRA). United States (US) Public Safety (PS) responders (police, fire-fighters, emergency medical services, etc.) can effectively respond to human-made …

Cyber-Physical Systems With Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Cooperative Source Seeking And Contour Mapping, Jinlu Han

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation presents the design, simulation, and execution of multi-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based cooperative source seeking and contour mapping with cyber-physical systems (CPS). Both fixed-wing UAVs and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAVs are developed as the flight platforms. Compared with single UAV, multi-UAV formation with advanced cooperative control strategies has more advantages for radiative source detection, especially in urgent tasks, for example, detecting nuclear radiation before deploying the salvage. A contour mapping algorithm for the nuclear radiation is proposed, and practical predefined waypoint-based formation flights are realized. Next, four scenarios are developed for multi-UAV-based cooperative source seeking and contour …

Statistical Models Of The Lambert Road Bridge: Changes In Natural Frequencies Due To Temperature, Nickolas Ryan Foust

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Structural health monitoring (SHM) systems have become tools for understanding how a civil structure truly behaves. In bridge structures, vibration-based SHM systems can be used to monitor the bridge’s modal parameters. Changes in modal parameters may indicate a change in the structure itself, boundary conditions, or damage. These modal parameters also vary with environmental factors, mainly temperature. Statistical models help show the correlation between modal parameters and temperature and can be used to filter out unimportant temperature effects. If done successfully, physical changes can be indicated and further inspection can be accomplished to minimize further damage.

The bridge structure utilized …

Selected Topics In Foundation Design, Quality Assurance, And Remediation, Danny Winters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are over 602,000 bridges in the United States, of which 12.5% are classified as functionally obsolete and 11.2% are structurally deficient. The functionally obsolete bridges will require expansion or replacement to increase the service capacity of the bridge. The structurally deficient bridges will either need remediation of the load carrying elements which are damaged or deteriorated or will need to be replaced completely. Replacement of the bridges means new construction; new construction means better design and quality assurance to meet the 100+ year service life requirement in place now. Rehabilitation of bridges will require better design and quality assurance …

Reproducing Laboratory-Scale Rip Currents On A Barred Beach By A Boussinesq Wave Model, Ke-Zhao Fang, Ji-Wei Yin, Zhi-Li Zou, Zhong-Bo Liu, Ping Dong

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The pioneering work of Haller [8] on physically investigating bathymetry-controlled rip currents in the laboratory is a standard benchmark test for verifying numerical nearshore circulation models. In this paper, a numerical model based on higher-order Boussinesq equations was developed to reproduce the number of experiments involved in such an investigation, with emphasis on the effect of computational domain size on the numerical results. A set of Boussinesq equations with optimum linear properties and second-order full nonlinearity were solved using a higher-order finite difference scheme. Wave breaking, moving shoreline, bottom friction, and mixing were all treated empirically. The developed model was …

Risk-Based Bridge Inspection Practices, Rebecca Reising

Open Access Theses

Improving bridge safety, reliability, and the allocation of bridge inspection resources are the goals of the proposed risk based bridge inspection practices. Currently, most bridges in the United States are inspected at a fixed calendar interval of 24 months, without regard to the condition of the bridge. Newer bridges with little or no damage are inspected with the same frequency as older, more deteriorated bridges thus creating inefficiency in the allocation of inspection resources. Because of limited resources, it is not possible to spend the necessary time examining bridges that are in poor condition and require extra attention since equal …

Large-Scale Site And Frequency Diversity In Urban Peer-To-Peer Channels For Six Public Safety Frequency Bands, David W. Matolak, Kate A. Remley, Christopher L. Holloway, Qian Zhang, Qiong Wu

Faculty Publications

We report on peer-to-peer large-scale wireless channel characteristics for an urban environment in six public-safety bands, for five simultaneous receiving sites. Results are based upon measurements taken in Denver in July 2009 with stationary receivers and a pedestrian transmitter. The six frequencies at which we measured are (in MHz) 430, 750, 905, 1834, 2400, and 4860. We quantify both site and frequency diversity, and show that 5-site selection yields minimum average gains of 15 dB in mean received power levels; 5-site selection diversity also reduces received power variation by 17-29 dB, depending on frequency. Frequency diversity yields similar gains. By …

Public Safety At Low-Head Dams: Fatality Database And Physical Model Of Staggered Deflector Retrofit Alternative, Edward William Kern

Theses and Dissertations

Low-head dams can cause dangerous currents near the downstream face of the structure. Fatalities at low-head dams are poorly documented. This thesis introduces a website with an interactive map and database of fatalities at low-head dams in the United States. The purpose of the web site is to generate interest among the general public to increase support to remediate dangerous structures and to serve as a tool for public education. The user interface allows the general public to browse fatal incidents by geographic location and to read incident circumstances. The site allows submission of public contributions including all metadata needed …

Multi-Rotor--Aided Three-Dimensional 802.11 Wireless Heat Mapping, Scott James Pack

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional wireless site surveys produce a heat-map of link strength or quality over a target area, usually on the ground plane. In recent years research has gone into using aerial drones in network attack and surveillance, making three dimensional awareness of wireless coverage areas of interest. A multi-rotor drone and data collection module were built and tested as part of this research. Site assessments were conducted both in open space and near structures. Collected data was interpolated across the target area, and visualized as points and contours. These visualizations were exported to a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) for visualization in …

Acuta Enews March 2014 Vol. 43, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

In this Issue...

1 Board of Directors 2014-15

2 Learning Analytics

3 Annual Conference 2014

4 Members Celebrate Anniversaries

6 WebRTC: DTMF and 911

7 Board Report

7 lt's a Girl!

8 lnfo Links

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check lt Out

Engineering Research 2014, College Of Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech Engineering Magazine

Table of Contents

• Health
• Sensing & Imaging
• Semiconductors
• Innovation
• People

Acuta Enews January 2014 Vol 43, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

In this Issue...

1. Living in a 3D World

3. Your invitation to the Strategic Leadership Forum

4. Discounted Dallas Mavericks Tickets

4. From the Listserv

4. Hot Topics...from 1994

5. 10 Most Costly Pitfalls of DAS Deployment

5. Board Report

6. Cool Technology

7. lnfo Links

8. Welcome New Members

8. Check lt Out

Engineering Research Review 2014, Office Of Engineering Research

Engineering Research Review

Contents:
[Page] 2 Bioinformatics help scientists make sense of genomic data
[Page] 4 Maps help public health officials fight malaria, West Nile Virus
[Page] 6 North Dakota-South Dakota engineers develop materials, components for solid state cell phone
[Page] 8 Statisticians uncover major reason behind cancer survivors’ choices
[Page] 10 Crash reporting helps reduce fatalities, improve roads on tribal lands
[Page] 12 Operations management expert, Mayo Clinic researcher help improve health-care delivery for patients with blood poisoning
[Page] 14 ISEE supports grant development
[Page] 16 Three engineering researchers receive awards
[Page] 17 Grantswinship awards recognize research funding

Facilitating Information Retrieval In Social Media User Interfaces, Anthony Costello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the amount of computer mediated information (e.g., emails, documents, multi-media) we need to process grows, our need to rapidly sort, organize and store electronic information likewise increases. In order to store information effectively, we must find ways to sort through it and organize it in a manner that facilitates efficient retrieval. The instantaneous and emergent nature of communications across networks like Twitter makes them suitable for discussing events (e.g., natural disasters) that are amorphous and prone to rapid changes. It can be difficult for an individual human to filter through and organize the large amounts of information that can …

Development And Validation Of The Structural Health Evaluation (SheTm) Program, Steven Worley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Public Private Partnership Pitfalls In Toll Roads, Mahran Maher Zatar

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has been one of the most effective concepts in developing infrastructure projects. By bringing in creative skills and management efficiency from business practice, private companies can potentially improve efficiency and productivity in implementation of major capital projects and provide an effective approach to meet project objectives. The main idea behind the partnership in toll roads delivery is putting together the strengths of both public and private sectors in order to provide services in the most cost-effective manner, on time, and with the highest quality. However, the criteria on which governments judge the "success" of PPP projects is …

Eastern Michigan University Graduate Catalog, 2014-2015, Office Of The Registrar

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Suspended Sediment And Nutrient Behaviour On The River Bandon, Ireland, James Hickey

Theses

Suspended sediment is a key contributor to contaminant transfer within river systems. The relationship between the transport of suspended sediment and nutrients influences the status of water quality and sustainability of aquatic habitats. This thesis studies suspended sediment and nutrient transport on the River Bandon.

This thesis includes a literature review of suspended sediment and nutrient transport, appropriate legislation, river flow representation and flood frequency estimation.

As part of a structured field monitoring programme, manual samples have been collected periodically and tested for suspended sediment concentration (SSC), turbidity, five species of phosphorus and five species of nitrogen. Continuous in-situ turbidity …

Dynamic Testing Procedures For Performance Assessment Of Nuclear Fuel Rods, Travis M. Adams

Honors Theses and Capstones

Existing transportation probabilistic risk assessment for spent nuclear fuel in the United States is based on short-term (decades) on-site storage at power plants before transport. Updated risk assessment estimates will be required as extended on-site storage (centuries) and higher burnup levels in fuel become standard. Nuclear fuel rods under these two conditions are more brittle than rods from short-term storage and intermediate burnup due to several mechanisms, including hydrogen embrittlement. Development of risk assessment requires characterizations of dynamic behavior of these degraded rods under transportation scenarios. This Honors thesis provides an initial literature review for a larger project that will …

Evaluation Of Overpressure Wave Transition By Airblast Overpressure And Shock Wave Attenuation Analysis Using A Small Black Powder Charge, William R. Weitzel

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Eight flush mount pressure sensors were used in a series of 3 test sequences to measure air overpressure produced by a firecracker. Overpressure was recorded at a range of 1 inch to 21 inches away from detonation, and charge weight was determined to be 0.1mg of black powder. Air overpressure prediction equations were developed from test series then compared to collected data for subsequent tests. Overpressure wave velocity was measured using wave arrival time and distance between sensors. This wave velocity was compared to calculated wave velocity using overpressure and ideal gas law. Overpressure and wave velocity are directly related …

Lean Fire Management: A Focused Analysis Of The Incident Command System Based On Toyota Production System Principles, Jeremiah S. Fugate

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

A primary role of the Incident Command System is to learn from past incidents, as illustrated by its origins in the wildland firefighting community. Successful emergency response operations under the Incident Command System has prompted its nationwide spread, this promulgation critically relies on the system’s capability to stabilize and continuously improve various aspects of emergency response through effective organizational learning. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential to apply fundamental principles of the Toyota Production System (Lean manufacturing) to improve learning effectiveness within the Incident Command System. An in-depth review of literature and training documents regarding both …

Dishwashing Water Recycling System And Related Water Quality Standards For Military Use, Jared Church

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the demand for reliable and safe water supplies increases, both water quality and available quantity are being challenged by population growth and climate change. Greywater reuse is becoming a common practice worldwide; however, in remote locations of limited water supply, such as those encountered in military installations, it is desirable to expand its classification to include dishwashing water to maximize the conservation of fresh water. Given that no standards for dishwashing greywater reuse by the military are currently available, the current study determined a specific set of water quality standards for dishwater recycling systems for U.S military field operations. …

Developing A Conceptual Framework For Modeling Deviant Cyber Flash Mob: A Socio-Computational Approach Leveraging Hypergraph Constructs, Samer Al-Khateeb, Nitin Agarwal

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In a Flash Mob (FM) a group of people get together in the physical world perform an unpredicted act and disperse quickly. Cyber Flash Mob (CFM) is the cyber manifestation of flash mob coordinated primarily using social media. Deviant Cyber Flash Mob (or, DCFM) is a special case of CFM, which is categorized as the new face of transnational crime organizations (TCOs). The DCFM phenomenon can be considered as a form of a cyber-collective action that is defined as an action aiming to improve group’s conditions (such as, status or power). In this paper, we conduct a conceptual analysis of …

Analysis And Modeling Of Manual Traffic Control For Signalized Intersections, Scott Alexander Skip Parr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Manual traffic control is a common intersection control strategy in which trained personnel, typically police law enforcement officers, allocate intersection right-of-way to approaching vehicles. Manual intersection control is a key part of managing traffic during emergencies and planned special events. It is widely assumed that the flow of traffic through intersections can be greatly improved by the direction given from police officers who can observe and respond to change conditions by allocating green time to the approaches that require it the most. Despite the long history of manual traffic control throughout the world and its assumed effectiveness, there have been …

Section 6: Fluids Engineering, Asme Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 1-2, 2014. School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; pp. 157-178