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Biomechanics Of Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip - An Engineering Study Of Closed Reduction Utilizing The Pavlik Harness For A Range Of Subtle To Severe Dislocations In Infants., Victor Huayamave Jan 2015

Biomechanics Of Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip - An Engineering Study Of Closed Reduction Utilizing The Pavlik Harness For A Range Of Subtle To Severe Dislocations In Infants., Victor Huayamave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) is an abnormal condition where hip joint dislocation, misalignment, or instability is present in infants. Rates of incidence of DDH in newborn infants have been reported to vary between 1 and 20 per 1000 births, making it the most common congenital malformation of the musculoskeletal system. DDH early detection and treatment is critical to avoid the use of surgical treatment in infants and to prevent future complications such as osteoarthritis in adult life. To this day several non-surgical treatments involving the use of harnesses and braces have been proposed to treat DDH in infants, …

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Resource Allocation And Load-Shedding Policies Based On Markov Decision Processes For Renewable Energy Generation And Storage, Edwards Jimenez Jan 2015

Resource Allocation And Load-Shedding Policies Based On Markov Decision Processes For Renewable Energy Generation And Storage, Edwards Jimenez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In modern power systems, renewable energy has become an increasingly popular form of energy generation as a result of all the rules and regulations that are being implemented towards achieving clean energy worldwide. However, clean energy can have drawbacks in several forms. Wind energy, for example can introduce intermittency. In this thesis, we discuss a method to deal with this intermittency. In particular, by shedding some specific amount of load we can avoid a total system breakdown of the entire power plant. The load shedding method discussed in this thesis utilizes a Markov Decision Process with backward policy iteration. This …

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True Linearized Intensity Modulation For Photonic Analog To Digital Conversion Using An Injection-Locked Mode-Locked Laser, Edris Sarailou Jan 2015

True Linearized Intensity Modulation For Photonic Analog To Digital Conversion Using An Injection-Locked Mode-Locked Laser, Edris Sarailou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A true linearized interferometric intensity modulator for pulsed light has been proposed and experimentally presented in this thesis. This has been achieved by introducing a mode-locked laser into one of the arms of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and injection-locking it to the input light (which is pulsed and periodic). By modulating the injection-locked laser, and combining its output light with the light from the other arm of interferometer in quadrature, one can achieve true linearized intensity modulator. This linearity comes from the arcsine phase response of the injection-locked mode-locked laser (as suggested by steady-state solution of Adler's equation) when it is …

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Electronic Transport Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes: The Impact Of Atomic Charged Impurities, Ryuichi Tsuchikawa Jan 2015

Electronic Transport Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes: The Impact Of Atomic Charged Impurities, Ryuichi Tsuchikawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even changing one atom in nanoscale materials is expected to alter their properties due to their small physical sizes. Such sensitivity can be utilized to modify materials' properties from bottom up and is essential for the utility of nanoscale materials. As such, the impact of extrinsic atomic adsorbates was measured on pristine graphene and a network of carbon nanotubes using atomic hydrogen, cesium atoms, and dye molecules. In order to further quantify such an atomic influence, the resistance induced by a single potassium atom on metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes was measured for the first time. Carbon nanotubes are sensitive …

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Design Of A Framework To Measure The Degree Of Live Virtual Constructive (Lvc) Simulation Interoperability, Kiyoul Kim Jan 2015

Design Of A Framework To Measure The Degree Of Live Virtual Constructive (Lvc) Simulation Interoperability, Kiyoul Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accomplishment of the Live, Virtual and Constructive simulation interoperability has been a major goal and a challenge in the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) community. There have been efforts to interoperate individual Live, Virtual and Constructive simulations within a common synthetic environment through suitable technologies such as interface specifications, protocols, and standard middleware architectures. However, achieving interoperability of LVC simulation is a technologically complex since it is affected by multiple factors, and the characteristics are not yet satisfactorily defined and studied. A proper method is absent to measure the potential interoperability degree of LVC simulation. Therefore, there should be an appropriate …

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Forensic Application Of Chemometric Analysis To Visible Absorption Spectra Collected From Dyed Textile Fibers, Alejandra Flores Jan 2015

Forensic Application Of Chemometric Analysis To Visible Absorption Spectra Collected From Dyed Textile Fibers, Alejandra Flores

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forensic analysis of evidence consists of the comparison of physical, spectroscopic, or chemical characteristics of a questioned sample to a set of knowns. Currently, decisions as to whether or not the questioned sample can be associated or grouped with the knowns are left up to the discretion of the forensic analyst. The implications of these outcomes are presented as evidence to a jury in a court of law to determine if a defendant is guilty of committing a crime or not. Leading up to, and since, the publication of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report entitled “Strengthening Forensic Science …

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Integration Of Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory With Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory, Maureen O'Connell Jan 2015

Integration Of Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory With Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory, Maureen O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Signal detection theory (SDT) has proven to be a robust and useful statistical model for analyzing human performance in detection and decision making tasks. As with many models extensions have been proposed in order capture and represent the real world to a greater degree. Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory (MSDT) has had success in describing and modeling complex signals, signals that are comprised by more than one identifiable component dimension. Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory (FSDT) has had success in modeling and measuring human performance in cases where there exist ambiguity in the signal or response dimension characteristics, through the application of …

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Modeling Crowd Mobility And Communication In Wireless Networks, Gurkan Solmaz Jan 2015

Modeling Crowd Mobility And Communication In Wireless Networks, Gurkan Solmaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents contributions to the fields of mobility modeling, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with mobile sinks, and opportunistic communication in theme parks. The two main directions of our contributions are human mobility models and strategies for the mobile sink positioning and communication in wireless networks. The first direction of the dissertation is related to human mobility modeling. Modeling the movement of human subjects is important to improve the performance of wireless networks with human participants and the validation of such networks through simulations. The movements in areas such as theme parks follow specific patterns that are not taken into …

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Quantitative Assessment Of The Effects Of Microbial Degradation Of A Simple Hydrocarbon Mixture, Jessica Kindell Jan 2015

Quantitative Assessment Of The Effects Of Microbial Degradation Of A Simple Hydrocarbon Mixture, Jessica Kindell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ignitable liquids consist of either a single organic compound or a complex organic mixture. In regards to fire debris analysis, the analyst is responsible for determining if an ignitable liquid residue is present. However, when extracted from soil-containing fire debris evidence, chemical degradation from microorganisms is observed to result in the loss of compounds based on chemical structure. It can also happen when the evidence container is stored at room temperature before analysis. This can present a challenge to the fire debris analyst when identifying and classifying the ignitable liquid residue based on the criteria established by standard test methods. …

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Synthesis, Linear And Nonlinear Photophysical Characterization Of Two Symmetrical Pyrene-Terminated Squaraine Derivatives In Solution, Alfonso Ballestas Barrientos Jan 2015

Synthesis, Linear And Nonlinear Photophysical Characterization Of Two Symmetrical Pyrene-Terminated Squaraine Derivatives In Solution, Alfonso Ballestas Barrientos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two indole-based squaraine dyes bonded to two pyrenyl groups through vinyl- and ethynyl- linkers were synthesized with the aim of enhancing the intramolecular charge transfer interaction in addition to improving their optical properties. The absorption and emission properties of these derivatives were determined in order to gain an insight into the intensity of this type of interaction, their aggregation behavior and compare them with results obtained through quantum chemical calculations. Both compounds presented high photochemical stability in THF, and the linear spectroscopic characterization revealed high extinction coefficients, large fluorescence quantum yields and relatively low tendency of forming excimers in several …

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Improvements On Instrumentation To Explore The Multidimensionality Of Luminescence Spectroscopy, Anthony Moore Jan 2015

Improvements On Instrumentation To Explore The Multidimensionality Of Luminescence Spectroscopy, Anthony Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents experimental and instrumentation developments that take full advantage of the multidimensional nature of line narrowing spectroscopy at liquid nitrogen (77 K) and liquid helium (4.2 K) temperatures. The inconvenience of sample freezing procedures is eliminated with the aid of cryogenic fiber optic probes. Rapid collection of multidimensional data formats such as wavelength time matrices, excitation emission matrices, time-resolved excitation emission matrices and time resolved excitation emission cubes is made possible with the combination of a pulsed tunable dye laser, a spectrograph and an intensifier-charged coupled device. These data formats provide unique opportunities for processing vibrational luminescence data …

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On The Theory Of Zeta-Functions And L-Functions, Almuatazbellah Awan Jan 2015

On The Theory Of Zeta-Functions And L-Functions, Almuatazbellah Awan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we provide a body of knowledge that concerns Riemann zeta-function and its generalizations in a cohesive manner. In particular, we have studied and mentioned some recent results regarding Hurwitz and Lerch functions, as well as Dirichlet's L-function. We have also investigated some fundamental concepts related to these functions and their universality properties. In addition, we also discuss different formulations and approaches to the proof of the Prime Number Theorem and the Riemann Hypothesis. These two topics constitute the main theme of this thesis. For the Prime Number Theorem, we provide a thorough discussion that compares and contrasts …

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Essays On Sales Force Career Incentives, Somnath Banerjee Jan 2015

Essays On Sales Force Career Incentives, Somnath Banerjee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses game theoretic models in a principal-agent framework to study how firms optimally manage long term career related incentives for their sales people. When sales people put sales effort they face incentives not only from short term incentives like commissions and bonuses but also from long term rewards associated with progression in their career. In particular, sales people are often motivated to get promoted and avoid being laid off, to get selected to managerial positions and to form stronger relationships with customers so that they can bargain for higher wages in the future, respectively. Three different essays examine …

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Characterizing Exoplanet Atmospheres: From Light-Curve Observations To Radiative-Transfer Modeling, Patricio Cubillos Vallejos Jan 2015

Characterizing Exoplanet Atmospheres: From Light-Curve Observations To Radiative-Transfer Modeling, Patricio Cubillos Vallejos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multi-wavelength transit and secondary-eclipse light-curve observations are some of the most powerful techniques to probe the thermo-chemical properties of exoplanets. Although the large planet-to-star brightness contrast and few available spectral bands produce data with low signal-to-noise ratios, a Bayesian approach can robustly reveal what constraints we can set, without over-interpreting the data. Here I performed an end-to-end analysis of transiting exoplanet data. I analyzed space-telescope data for three planets to characterize their atmospheres and refine their orbits, investigated correlated noise estimators, and contributed to the development of the respective data-analysis pipelines. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the Photometry for Orbits, …

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Synchrotron Based Infrared Microspectroscopy Of Carbonaceous Chondrites., Mehmet Yesiltas Jan 2015

Synchrotron Based Infrared Microspectroscopy Of Carbonaceous Chondrites., Mehmet Yesiltas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relationships between organic molecules and inorganic minerals are investigated in five carbonaceous chondrites, Northwest Africa 852 (CR2), Tagish Lake (C2-ungroupped), Orgueil (CI1), Sutter's Mill (CM), and Murchison (CM2), with micron spatial resolution using synchrotron-based imaging micro-FTIR spectroscopy. Correlations based on absorption strength for various constituents are determined using statistical correlation analysis. Silicate band is found to be positively correlated with stretching modes of aliphatic hydrocarbons in NWA 852 and Tagish Lake. The former is highly correlated with the hydration band in all meteorites. Negative correlation is observed between water+organics and carbonate bands in all meteorites. Two dimensional infrared maps for …

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Broadband Coherent Perfect Absorption In One-Dimensional Optical Systems, Massimo Maximilian Villinger Jan 2015

Broadband Coherent Perfect Absorption In One-Dimensional Optical Systems, Massimo Maximilian Villinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Absorption plays a critical role in a variety of optical applications – sometimes it is desirable to minimize it as in optical fibers and waveguides, or to enhance it as in solar cells and photodetectors. We describe here a new optical scheme that controllably produces high optical absorption over a broad wavelength range (hundreds of nm) in systems that have low intrinsic absorption over the same range. This effect, 'coherent perfect absorption' or CPA, arises from a subtle interplay between interference and absorption of two beams incident on a weakly absorbing medium. In the first part of this study, we …

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Policy Implications Of A Teacher Evaluation System: The Relationship Of Classroom Observations, Levels Of Feedback, And Students Achievement Outcomes, Shana H. Rafalski Jan 2015

Policy Implications Of A Teacher Evaluation System: The Relationship Of Classroom Observations, Levels Of Feedback, And Students Achievement Outcomes, Shana H. Rafalski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine the relationship between the number of classroom observations and teacher VAM scores and (b) to identify the relationship between the types of feedback provided to teachers and student achievement outcomes as measured by VAM scores. De-identified data for the sample set of teachers in a large urban school district was gathered for the 2013-2014 year from iObservation by administrators observing teachers using the domains of the Marzano instructional model. The number of observations were compared to VAM scores to determine if teachers with a greater number of observations received higher …

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Modeling Network Worm Outbreaks, Evan Foley Jan 2015

Modeling Network Worm Outbreaks, Evan Foley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to their convenience, computers have become a standard in society and therefore, need the utmost care. It is convenient and useful to model the behavior of digital virus outbreaks that occur, globally or locally. Compartmental models will be used to analyze the mannerisms and behaviors of computer malware. This paper will focus on a computer worm, a type of malware, spread within a business network. A mathematical model is proposed consisting of four compartments labeled as Susceptible, Infectious, Treatment, and Antidotal. We shall show that allocating resources into treating infectious computers leads to a reduced peak of infections across …

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Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence Experiments And Modeling Study Of Jets In Crossflow At Various Injection Angles, Luke Thompson Jan 2015

Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence Experiments And Modeling Study Of Jets In Crossflow At Various Injection Angles, Luke Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) with acetone seeding was applied to measure the scalar fields of an axisymmetric freejet and an inclined jet-in-crossflow as applicable to film cooling. From the scalar fields, jet-mixing and trajectory characteristics were obtained. In order to validate the technique, the canonical example of a nonreacting freejet of Reynolds Numbers 900-9000 was investigated. Desired structural characteristics were observed and showed strong agreement with computational modeling. After validating the technique with the axisymmetric jet, the jet-in-crossflow was tested with various velocity ratios and jet injection angles. Results indicated the degree of wall separation for different injection angles …

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The Relationship Between Dna's Physical Properties And The Dna Molecule's Harmonic Signature, And Related Motion In Water--A Computational Investigation, Victor Boyer Jan 2015

The Relationship Between Dna's Physical Properties And The Dna Molecule's Harmonic Signature, And Related Motion In Water--A Computational Investigation, Victor Boyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates through computational methods whether the physical properties of DNA contribute to its harmonic signature, the uniqueness of that signature if present, and motion of the DNA molecule in water. When DNA is solvated in water at normal 'room temperature', it experiences a natural vibration due to the Brownian motion of the particles in the water colliding with the DNA. The null hypothesis is that there is no evidence to suggest a relationship between DNA's motion and strand length, while the alternative hypothesis is that there is evidence to suggest a relationship between DNA's vibrational motion and strand …

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Integrated Sustainability Assessment Framework For The U.S. Transportation, Nuri Onat Jan 2015

Integrated Sustainability Assessment Framework For The U.S. Transportation, Nuri Onat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to investigate the sustainability impacts of alternative vehicle technologies and develop comprehensive sustainability assessment frameworks to analyze potential impacts of these vehicles in the U.S. In order to assess sustainability impact of vehicle alternatives, life-cycle based models has been extensively used in the literature. Although life cycle-based models are often used for environmental impacts of alternative vehicles, analysis of social and economic impacts of these vehicles has gained a tremendous interest. In this regard, there is a growing interest among the international platform and academia to use the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment framework to have more informed …

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Parallel Distributed Discrete Event Simulation Optimization Using Complexity And Deep Learning, Edwin Cortes Jan 2015

Parallel Distributed Discrete Event Simulation Optimization Using Complexity And Deep Learning, Edwin Cortes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parallel distributed discrete event simulation (PDDES) is the execution of a discrete event simulation on a tightly or loosely coupled computer system with multiple processors. The discrete-event simulation model is decomposed into several logical processors (LPs) or simulation objects that can be executed concurrently using partitioning types such as spatial and temporal. PDDES is exceedingly important for the reduction of the simulation time, increase of model size, intellectual property issue mitigation in multi-enterprise simulations, and the sharing of resources. One of the problems with PDDES is the time management to provide flow control over event processing, the process flow, and …

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An Investigation Of Physiological Measures In A Marketing Decision Task, Nelson Lerma Jan 2015

An Investigation Of Physiological Measures In A Marketing Decision Task, Nelson Lerma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to understand the use of physiological measures as an alternative to traditional market research tools, such as self-reporting measures and focus groups. For centuries, corporations and researchers have relied almost exclusively on traditional measures to gain insights into consumer behavior. Oftentimes, traditional methods have failed to accurately predict consumer demand, and this has prompted corporations to explore alternative methods that will accurately forecast future sales. One the most promising alternative methods currently being investigated is the use of physiological measures as an indication of consumer preference. This field, also referred to as neuromarketing, …

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Computerized Evaluatution Of Microsurgery Skills Training, Payal Jotwani Jan 2015

Computerized Evaluatution Of Microsurgery Skills Training, Payal Jotwani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The style of imparting medical training has evolved, over the years. The traditional methods of teaching and practicing basic surgical skills under apprenticeship model, no longer occupy the first place in modern technically demanding advanced surgical disciplines like neurosurgery. Furthermore, the legal and ethical concerns for patient safety as well as cost-effectiveness have forced neurosurgeons to master the necessary microsurgical techniques to accomplish desired results. This has lead to increased emphasis on assessment of clinical and surgical techniques of the neurosurgeons. However, the subjective assessment of microsurgical techniques like micro-suturing under the apprenticeship model cannot be completely unbiased. A few …

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A Simulation-Based Task Analysis Using Agent-Based, Discrete Event And System Dynamics Simulation, Anastasia Angelopoulou Jan 2015

A Simulation-Based Task Analysis Using Agent-Based, Discrete Event And System Dynamics Simulation, Anastasia Angelopoulou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in technology have increased the need for using simulation models to analyze tasks and obtain human performance data. A variety of task analysis approaches and tools have been proposed and developed over the years. Over 100 task analysis methods have been reported in the literature. However, most of the developed methods and tools allow for representation of the static aspects of the tasks performed by expert system-driven human operators, neglecting aspects of the work environment, i.e. physical layout, and dynamic aspects of the task. The use of simulation can help face the new challenges in the field of …

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Coordinated Optimal Power Planning Of Wind Turbines In A Wind Farm, Puneet Vishwakarma Jan 2015

Coordinated Optimal Power Planning Of Wind Turbines In A Wind Farm, Puneet Vishwakarma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wind energy is on an upswing due to climate concerns and increasing energy demands on conventional sources. Wind energy is attractive and has the potential to dramatically reduce the dependency on non-renewable energy resources. With the increase in wind farms there is a need to improve the efficiency in power allocation and power generation among wind turbines. Wake interferences among wind turbines can lower the overall efficiency considerably, while offshore conditions pose increased loading on wind turbines. In wind farms, wind turbines* wake affects each other depending on their positions and operation modes. Therefore it becomes essential to optimize the …

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Opportunistic Spectrum Utilization By Cognitive Radio Networks: Challenges And Solutions, Muhammad Faisal Amjad Jan 2015

Opportunistic Spectrum Utilization By Cognitive Radio Networks: Challenges And Solutions, Muhammad Faisal Amjad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) is an emerging paradigm that makes use of Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) to communicate opportunistically, in the un-licensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical bands or frequency bands otherwise licensed to incumbent users such as TV broadcast. Interest in the development of CRNs is because of severe under-utilization of spectrum bands by the incumbent Primary Users (PUs) that have the license to use them coupled with an ever-increasing demand for unlicensed spectrum for a variety of new mobile and wireless applications. The essence of Cognitive Radio (CR) operation is the cooperative and opportunistic utilization of licensed spectrum bands …

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Energy Harvesting Toward The Vibration Reduction Of Turbomachinery Blades Via Resonance Frequency Detuning, Taylor Hynds Jan 2015

Energy Harvesting Toward The Vibration Reduction Of Turbomachinery Blades Via Resonance Frequency Detuning, Taylor Hynds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Piezoelectric-based energy harvesting devices provide an attractive approach to powering remote devices as ambient mechanical energy from vibrations is converted to electrical energy. These devices have numerous potential applications, including actuation, sensing, structural health monitoring, and vibration control -- the latter of which is of particular interest here. This work seeks to develop an understanding of energy harvesting behavior within the framework of a semi-active technique for reducing turbomachinery blade vibrations, namely resonance frequency detuning. In contrast with the bulk of energy harvesting research, this effort is not focused on maximizing the power output of the system, but rather providing …

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Gauging Training Effectiveness Of Virtual Environment Simulation Based Applications For An Infantry Soldier Training Task, Douglas Maxwell Jan 2015

Gauging Training Effectiveness Of Virtual Environment Simulation Based Applications For An Infantry Soldier Training Task, Douglas Maxwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command*s Army Learning Concept 2015 and Army Training Concept 2025 are documents that discuss the need for an adaptive soldier learning model with a flexible training delivery methodology. The U.S. Army has been investing in serious gaming technology for the past two decades as a cost effective means to teach tactics and strategy. Today, the U.S. Army is seeking to expand its application of virtual environment training to areas such as cultural awareness and human network analysis for the infantry soldier. These new expanded applications will require a higher level of non-determinant behavior inside …

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Development Of Regional Optimization And Market Penetration Models For Electric Vehicles In The United States, Mehdi Noori Jan 2015

Development Of Regional Optimization And Market Penetration Models For Electric Vehicles In The United States, Mehdi Noori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the transportation sector still relies mostly on fossil fuels, the emissions and overall environmental impacts of the transportation sector are particularly relevant to the mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change. Sustainable transportation therefore plays a vital role in the ongoing discussion on how to promote energy insecurity and address future energy requirements. One of the most promising ways to increase energy security and reduce emissions from the transportation sector is to support alternative fuel technologies, including electric vehicles (EVs). As vehicles become electrified, the transportation fleet will rely on the electric grid as well as traditional transportation …

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