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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Federal Highway Spending And Economic Growth In Appalachia, James Herbert Noonan Aug 1999

Federal Highway Spending And Economic Growth In Appalachia, James Herbert Noonan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Appalachia has always struggled economically due to three main factors: absentee ownership, isolation, and stereotyping. In 1965, Congress created the Appalachian Regional Commission with the mission of providing economic development programs to increase development in the region. Federal highway spending was seen as a key to improving the Appalachian infrastructure.;Today, the debate continues on the effectiveness of federal highway spending in Appalachia. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of federal highway spending on socioeconomic status in Appalachia by analyzing the effects of spending during an economic recovery from 1983--89 and recession 1989--92. Three constructs determine increases …

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Design Of Anechoic Chamber Instrumentation And Data Acquisition Module For Testing And Analysis Of The Ctha, Srikanth Gururajan Aug 1999

Design Of Anechoic Chamber Instrumentation And Data Acquisition Module For Testing And Analysis Of The Ctha, Srikanth Gururajan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The backbone of wireless communication is an antenna, a device that converts electromagnetic energy to electric energy and vice versa, to transmit and receive the signals. The effectiveness of a communication system depends largely on the effectiveness of the antenna used in them. The effectiveness of an antenna is characterized by its electromagnetic field. Methods to characterize the field of an antenna include testing them on outdoor test ranges or in enclosures insulated against electromagnetic radiation, called anechoic chambers. The objective of this work is to design and build an automated data acquisition system to map the field of physically …

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Associations Of Egg Production With The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Broiler Breeder Hens, Becky Jean Tarleton Aug 1999

Associations Of Egg Production With The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Broiler Breeder Hens, Becky Jean Tarleton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study documents effects of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on reproductive traits in a flock of Cobb X Cobb broiler breeder hens. The objective was to determine if the MHC affects reproduction of non-congenic broiler breeder hens. Genomic DNA was isolated from 35 hens. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed on each sample, using a chicken class II MHC probe (Xu et al. 1989). Restriction endonuclease digestion using PvuII resulted in polymorphisms in all birds. Five polymorphic bands were identified. The largest bands, 7.5 kb and 5.4 kb, were present in one and four hens respectively. The …

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Through-Wafer Interrogation Of Mems Device Motion, Jeremy Michael Dawson Aug 1999

Through-Wafer Interrogation Of Mems Device Motion, Jeremy Michael Dawson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been the focus of many research groups because of their wide variety of uses in sensing and actuation applications. A fundamental barrier facing designers of next generation MEMS is the inability to access accurate, real-time microstructure positional information to determine if the device is performing as expected. Previously explored optical and electrical methods of MEMS device monitoring are often only suitable for research environments, or are unable to produce clear and meaningful characterization of device motion. The most desirable MEMS monitoring method would be one that could be implemented at the device level, which would allow …

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Occurrence, Etiology And Management Of Ringwomb In Ewes, Nancy Jean Kerr Aug 1999

Occurrence, Etiology And Management Of Ringwomb In Ewes, Nancy Jean Kerr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pedigrees of ewes with Ringwomb were studied to determine the etiology, incidence and treatment of Ringwomb. Purebred Suffolk and crossbred Hampshire and Shropshire ewes aged from one to seven years were observed over a period of five lambing seasons. The study was conducted on 24 clinical cases of ringwomb occurring in one flock. Ringwomb or incomplete cervical dilation accounted for an incidence of 20.5% (24/117) of all ewes lambing. The ewes affected were all daughters, granddaughters, or great-granddaughters of one particular sire used on the farm as a service sire. Because ringwomb does not typically affect ewes in two consecutive …

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Geologic Controls On Mass Movement In The New River Gorge, West Virginia, Jonathan William Frank Remo Aug 1999

Geologic Controls On Mass Movement In The New River Gorge, West Virginia, Jonathan William Frank Remo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Geologic factors, such as bedrock lithology, joints, lineaments, and attitude of bedding were analyzed and evaluated for influences on mass-movement in the New River Gorge. Mass-movement deposits were mapped at a 1:24,000 scale in three study areas within the gorge and a Geographic Information System was developed to analyze the affects of local bedrock geology on the deposits.;Analysis of bedrock lithology revealed that the greater the percentage of quartz sandstone within the gorge, the more area is covered by mass-movement deposits. This trend is related to the preservation potential of the deposits. Stress-release and tectonic joints affect mass movement in …

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Verbal Aggression In Sibling Relationships, Shannon Marie Brogan Aug 1999

Verbal Aggression In Sibling Relationships, Shannon Marie Brogan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The major focus of this study was to further investigate the area of sibling verbal aggression. In order to research this area, students at West Virginia University and their siblings were asked to complete a questionnaire about verbal aggression. The results showed that self-reports of verbal aggression were consistent with other reports. Results also showed that male same sexed siblings were more likely to display more verbal aggression than all other combinations. Results revealed that males self-reports of verbal aggression were higher than females. Results also indicated that males are reported by their siblings to be more verbally aggressive than …

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Social Competence And Theory Of Mind Understanding In Elementary School Children With Attention Deficits, Amy Wilson Strange Aug 1999

Social Competence And Theory Of Mind Understanding In Elementary School Children With Attention Deficits, Amy Wilson Strange

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following study explored relations between theory of mind understanding, social competence, and auditory processing in elementary school children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children in this study were recruited from a local elementary school, as well as two outpatient clinics. Scores on measures of false belief and recursive thinking, social skills (Social Knowledge Interview, Harter, Emotion labels), and auditory processing (Test of Auditory Processing Skills, Revised) were obtained along with teacher ratings of children's self-regulation as measured by Attention and Hyperactivity subscales of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale - Revised. Language ability was also measured using the …

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Domains Of Organizational Effectiveness Of Gerontology Centers In Higher Education, Allison Hale Nichols May 1999

Domains Of Organizational Effectiveness Of Gerontology Centers In Higher Education, Allison Hale Nichols

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This is an exploratory study that focuses on organizational effectiveness of gerontology centers and institutes at American universities. The study was modeled after studies of organizational effectiveness in higher education by Kim Cameron of Brigham Young University. The study identifies six domains of effectiveness that are important to gerontology centers and the structural and functional models and characteristics of gerontology centers that may predict the domain in which it is effective. The target population of the study was dominant coalition members of 87 gerontology centers, namely, administrators and faculty members who have the most influence on policy, direction, and performance. …

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West Virginia Education Information System Users' Concerns As Measured By The Stages Of Concern Questionnaire, Toni Lynne Devore May 1999

West Virginia Education Information System Users' Concerns As Measured By The Stages Of Concern Questionnaire, Toni Lynne Devore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are significant differences in users' concerns related to the West Virginia Education Information System based on position, county size, length of use, and attendance at the WVEIS Data Conference. Using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire from the Concerns Based Adoption Model, 118 WVEIS users were surveyed first in June 1998. A post conference survey was mailed to the same population five months later with 80 responses being returned. Analysis of the data was done using StatView software to run an analysis of variance, unpaired, and paired t-tests. Profile graphs were …

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Effects Of Faculty Senate's Site-Based Management Practice On Restructuring Schools To Facilitate Inclusion, Holly Ann Pae May 1999

Effects Of Faculty Senate's Site-Based Management Practice On Restructuring Schools To Facilitate Inclusion, Holly Ann Pae

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The national reform agenda charges schools to address the needs of all students. Unlike prior movements these reform goals have influenced the broader context of education's activities to embrace the principle and practices invested in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. In response states have developed policies that promote inclusive education. Yet despite these initiatives, students with disabilities continue to receive limited attention in the school reform literature. The purpose of this study was to examine how these contexts of reform serve special education's interests.;Using a multiple case design this study examined the relationship between the school's inclusion level and …

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The Implementation Of Learning Strategies In The Design Of An On-Line Medical Course Supplement, Lee Ann Hill May 1999

The Implementation Of Learning Strategies In The Design Of An On-Line Medical Course Supplement, Lee Ann Hill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Given the charge of integrating technology in the medical school curriculum, faculty members are faced with the challenge of designing new materials for their courses. Often, these materials become on-line resources such as hypermedia and electronic communication. Strategies may assist students who are unfamiliar with on-line materials to use such materials more effectively. This study investigated the elaborative interrogation strategy used in conjunction with on-line materials to promote more efficient processing of difficult material. Twenty second-year medical students volunteered to participate in the study. The course in which they were enrolled required the use of an on-line lecture supplement. The …

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The Evaluation Of Research For Promotion And Tenure: An Organizational Perspective, Elsa G. Nadler May 1999

The Evaluation Of Research For Promotion And Tenure: An Organizational Perspective, Elsa G. Nadler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The literature on promotion and tenure in institutions of higher education includes a substantial amount of research on various aspects of faculty productivity. Yet other research concentrates on the organizational structure of higher education. In his 1986 book, Burton Clark called for research that would examine how what he called the enterprise (the local university as opposed to the statewide system) and departments within it interact in important arenas.;This dissertation takes up Clark's challenge to examine the interaction of enterprise and department in promotion and tenure in three areas: goals, structure and operations. Content analysis of faculty handbooks from 25 …

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The Role Of The Special Education Administrator As Perceived By Principals, Superintendents, And Special Education Administrators In West Virginia, Katherine Leary Porter May 1999

The Role Of The Special Education Administrator As Perceived By Principals, Superintendents, And Special Education Administrators In West Virginia, Katherine Leary Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the expectations held by key administrative personnel within West Virginia public schools regarding the role of the special education administrator. Existing differences in perception of the administrative functions of the special education administrator in West Virginia among and within groups of superintendents, principals, and special education administrators were investigated. Forty administrative tasks organized into seven administrative activities were examined in order to identify potential areas of conflict between the school system administrators. The responses analyzed pertained to both the perceived performance and the perceived importance of each administrative task.;The West Virginia school personnel that participated in this …

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Theory Of Mind Development And Executive Functioning In Elementary School Children, Dana Lee Futoran May 1999

Theory Of Mind Development And Executive Functioning In Elementary School Children, Dana Lee Futoran

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following study explored the role of verbal ability and executive functioning in theory of mind understanding in elementary school children. Scores on measures of language comprehension, verbal ability (sentence memory, and forward digit span), matrix completion, executive functioning (backward digit span), and second-order theory of mind tasks were obtained. Partial correlations of the measures controlling for age revealed verbal ability to be significantly correlated with theory of mind comprehension. A regression analysis demonstrated that auditory language comprehension was the only variable, in addition to age, that explained unique variance in performance on a recursive thinking task. Possible explanations are …

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Dual Fuel Conversion Of A Direct-Injection Diesel Engine, Talus Park May 1999

Dual Fuel Conversion Of A Direct-Injection Diesel Engine, Talus Park

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dual fuel pilot-injected diesel natural gas engines offer significant potential to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PK emissions while maintaining diesel-like efficiency. A 1994 Navistar T444E turbocharger V-8 diesel engine was converted to dual fuel diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). In an attempt to reduce the overall cost and complexity of conversion, the engine was left completely original, including the diesel fuel injection system. Also, for the sake of simplicity, the method of intake manifold fumigation through an IMPCO, Inc. electronic natural gas control valve was chosen to deliver the CNG. A microprocessor-based electronic control unit …

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The Relationship Of Disease Severity, Health Beliefs, And Medication Adherence Among Hiv Patients, Xin Gao May 1999

The Relationship Of Disease Severity, Health Beliefs, And Medication Adherence Among Hiv Patients, Xin Gao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose. To investigate the relationship of disease severity, health beliefs, and medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients.;Results. Seventy-two HIV patients were enrolled. There were no significant differences in patients' perceived severity of HIV/AIDS and perceptions of benefits and barriers of the treatment across three disease stages. However, patients who had greater experience with the disease (stage C) perceived a higher risk to develop complications if they were not adherent compared to asymptomatic patients (stage A). Results also revealed that patients in stage B and C were more adherent to their medications compared to patients in stage A when regimen complexity was …

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Mission Planning And Remote Operated Vehicle Simulation In A Virtual Reality Interface, Christopher Samuel Allport May 1999

Mission Planning And Remote Operated Vehicle Simulation In A Virtual Reality Interface, Christopher Samuel Allport

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Virtual reality simulations are finding applications in a wide range of disciplines such as surgical simulation, electronics training, and crime scene investigation. During the Mars Pathfinder Mission, in summer 1997, NASA scientists unveiled a new application of virtual reality for the visualization of a planetary surface. The success of this application led to a more concentrated effort for using virtual reality visualization tools during future missions. The thrust of this effort was to develop a new interface which would allow scientists to interactively plan experiments to be performed by the mission robots. This thesis covers two of the primary aspects …

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Development Of A Decision Support System For Assessment Of Mobile Bridges, Vikram Ramamoorthy May 1999

Development Of A Decision Support System For Assessment Of Mobile Bridges, Vikram Ramamoorthy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The development of a prototype Decision Support System (DSS) for the condition assessment of the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB) has been demonstrated in the current work. AVLB is a mobile bridge that has been used by the US Army for tank and assault vehicle crossing. It is employed for spanning short gaps of 50 feet or less in the terrain. The condition assessment of such bridges, to ensure safety of personnel and tank, is of strategic importance. The methodology of the prototype DSS is based on a refined visual inspection procedure and a previously established vibration measurement technique.;Conforming to …

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An Application Of The Delphi Method Of Forecasting To The Future Of Technology Infrastructure In West Virginia High Schools, William H. Carman May 1999

An Application Of The Delphi Method Of Forecasting To The Future Of Technology Infrastructure In West Virginia High Schools, William H. Carman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the technology infrastructures that will have an impact on school systems in West Virginia that desire to either retrofit existing high school structures or construct new ones. A three round modified Delphi technique was used to determine the life expectancy and affordability of each technology infrastructure.;In Round 1, surveys were sent via E-mail to 21 individuals representing public education in West Virginia at all levels, colleges and universities, technology business executives, an architect, and a foreign technology business executive. In response to the first survey, the expert panel generated a total of twenty-one different technology infrastructures that …

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Modifying Risk Perceptions Of Japanese University Students Using A Culturally Compatible Mode Of Instruction, Susan F. Walsh May 1999

Modifying Risk Perceptions Of Japanese University Students Using A Culturally Compatible Mode Of Instruction, Susan F. Walsh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Japanese university students who come to the United States present a particular challenge to universities to teach them about their risks to personal property. The usual method of delivering this message, a lecture during the orientation period, may not be the most effective way of presenting the information due to their limitations in understanding English. It was hypothesized that a manga, or comic book, would be an effective and culturally compatible mode of instruction.;A manga was developed and was tested on a group of incoming Japanese freshmen. Forty students (12 females, 28 males) were divided into two groups. One group …

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An Examination Of The Perceived Leadership Styles Of Kentucky Public School Principals As Determinants Of Teacher Job Satisfaction, Karen Marie Bare-Oldham May 1999

An Examination Of The Perceived Leadership Styles Of Kentucky Public School Principals As Determinants Of Teacher Job Satisfaction, Karen Marie Bare-Oldham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to determine the leadership style of Kentucky school principals as perceived by Kentucky public school teachers. The study then measured the job satisfaction of the Kentucky public school teachers and examined the significant relationship between leadership style and teacher job satisfaction. The design and the findings of the study are as follows.;From the population of 40,000 teachers as identified by the teacher certification unit of Kentucky's State Department of Education, a random sample of 500 (250 elementary and 250 secondary) was chosen. Each teacher received a packet which contained the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire ( LBDQ) …

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Locating And Mapping Cemeteries In Loudon County, Virginia, Scott Marshall Sizer May 1999

Locating And Mapping Cemeteries In Loudon County, Virginia, Scott Marshall Sizer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Protecting smaller family-type cemeteries is a difficult task in a rapidly growing area. This paper investigates that ways in which Loudoun County, Virginia addressed cemetery protection concerns. Cemetery locational data was captured from a variety of sources and integrated into the countys geographic information system (GIS). The locational information was gathered through digitization and with a Global Positioning System (GPS). Once the cemetery locational information was in the GIS, it was then integrated into an existing land development process.

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Using Stages Of Change To Examine Fear, Threat, Efficacy, And Safety Climate Perceptions In Health Care Workers Who Routinely Handle Needles And Sharps, Brian Thomas Day May 1999

Using Stages Of Change To Examine Fear, Threat, Efficacy, And Safety Climate Perceptions In Health Care Workers Who Routinely Handle Needles And Sharps, Brian Thomas Day

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Standard precautions are mandated for the purpose of decreasing the risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission of diseases, namely human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B infections. One of the stipulations of standard precautions is that used needles should not be recapped and should be disposed of in an appropriate sharps container. The rate of needle stick injuries among health care workers remains at a high level despite the 1992 passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations regarding standard precautions. The role fear plays in decisions regarding individual health related behaviors such as intravenous drug use has been …

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School Improvement Councils As Change Agents, Thurman Jeffrey Fry May 1999

School Improvement Councils As Change Agents, Thurman Jeffrey Fry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of school improvement council members of 1999, and compare them to a similar study performed in 1994. This study reflected the speed at which LSIC's are becoming reform agents. A questionnaire was used with a stratified random sampling based on student enrollment. Chi square analysis, standard deviations, means, and percentages were used to identify and compare the data. The questions researched were: (1) What activities do the school improvement council members feel are worthwhile? (2) How involved are SIC's in local decision-making? (3) How have the activities of the SIC …

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Role Expectations And Predictions Of Trends For Human Resource Development At Large Public Universities Within The Southern Regional Education Board (Sreb) Area, Drayton Ray Justus Jr. May 1999

Role Expectations And Predictions Of Trends For Human Resource Development At Large Public Universities Within The Southern Regional Education Board (Sreb) Area, Drayton Ray Justus Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to identify the role expectations, reporting hierarchy, years in role and trends in human resource development as reported by the person responsible for human resource development in large public universities within the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) geographic area. The population for this study was all the four-year public universities in Southern Regional Education Board states which were classified by 1997 SREB-State Data Exchange definitions as SREB I (n = 26).;Each institution in the sample was mailed a copy of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Roles Survey, an instrument developed for the purpose of this research. …

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Administrators' Influence On Job Satisfaction For West Virginia Special Education Teachers, Jennifer Pitzer Sirk May 1999

Administrators' Influence On Job Satisfaction For West Virginia Special Education Teachers, Jennifer Pitzer Sirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between the perceived administrative support levels of special education directors and principals and the perceived intrinsic, extrinsic and overall job satisfaction levels of West Virginia special education teachers. The Supervisory Behavior Description Questionnaire (Form One) was used to measure the perceived administrative support levels. The Mohrman Cooke Mohrman Job Satisfaction Scale was used to measure the perceived intrinsic, extrinsic and overall job satisfaction levels. Ancillary information was also obtained from the respondents concerning gender, Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) area of employment, grade level of employment, special education teaching assignment areas, years of experience teaching …

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Independent Verification Of Specification Models For Large Software Systems At The Early Phases Of Development Lifecycle, Khalid Lateef May 1999

Independent Verification Of Specification Models For Large Software Systems At The Early Phases Of Development Lifecycle, Khalid Lateef

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One of the major challenges facing the software industry, in general and IV&V (Independent Verification and Validation) analysts in particular, is to find ways for analyzing dynamic behavior of requirement specifications of large software systems early in the development lifecycle. Such analysis can significantly improve the performance and reliability of the developed systems. This dissertation addresses the problem of developing an IV&V framework for extracting semantics of dynamic behavior from requirement specifications based on: (1) SART (Structured Analysis with Realtime) models, and (2) UML (Unified Modeling Language) models.;For SART, the framework presented here shows a direct mapping from SART specification …

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Mean Value Modeling And Control Of A Diesel Engine Using Neural Networks, Yasser Yacoub May 1999

Mean Value Modeling And Control Of A Diesel Engine Using Neural Networks, Yasser Yacoub

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increasingly stringent emissions legislation and demands for improved fuel economy have mandated the need for advanced control algorithms and complicated the diesel engine calibration procedure. To this end, a neural network-based mean value model of a modern turbocharged direct injection diesel engine has been developed and validated. For a pre-specified engine speed schedule and control vector trajectory, the engine model was shown to produce accurate predictions of the turbocharger manifold charging dynamics and combustion efficiency through engine brake torque predictions. The mean value model was coupled with several sub-models to predict exhaust gaseous and particulate emissions and satisfactory predictions were …

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Offerings For Jahilia, Stephen Vincent Martonis May 1999

Offerings For Jahilia, Stephen Vincent Martonis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

These words represent the ideas invested in my paintings. They are progressive and fluctuating thoughts occurring at an interval in time. They are given honestly and freely, as ignorance and change are understood.

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